What If CollectionScenario 1: Beyond Evil
by Driven to Fight
Summary: Buffy is called to L.A. to stop Angelus, instead of Faith. (Season 4) Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor the themes, etc. All belong to Joss Whedon
1. PART 1

"Okay, kids, give me ten more minutes to put the remaining ingredients together and we'll have ourselves one life-saving protection spellapalooza throughout the hotel," Lorne informed everyone.

"Many heart-felt, relieving sighs all around," Fred agreed.

"You people just don't get it do you?" Connor spoke as he descended the winding staircase and approached them.

"What don't we get?" Gunn asked, agitated by Connor's aggressive tone.

"Angelus is free out there; free to kill as many people as he wants. We need to kill him now. I don't see why you are wasting your time with these ridiculous spells. As soon as we step outside of the Hotel, he can rip our throats out. We're prisoners here, just like _he_ was in that cage. You're all fools!"

"Connor, we will find a way to stop him and put his soul back," Fred assured him.

"Find a way? What way? None of you have what it takes to stop him. That's why you're all cowering in here. Well, I've had it with waiting and letting him reign free out there. I'm going to kill Angelus, myself."

"If you insist," Angelus's voice rang out through the hotel. Before the gang could turn to face him, he jumped down from the balcony and stood within a few feet of them. "I bet you're all kicking yourselves now, thinking if only you'd stopped squabbling for one _second_, you'd have had that spell up and running sooner."

"Get out of here," Connor seethed, assuming a fighting stance and stepping in front of the others.

"I'd have to say no," Angelus said. His smirk vanished to be replaced by his vampiric features and the chilling eyes of an experienced killer. Before Connor had the chance to react, Angelus leapt forward, shoved him backwards and then roundhoused him over the desk. Connor reeled on the floor, blood oozing from his mouth.

Within these mere seconds, Gunn reached for an axe that stood upright just behind the _Angel Investigations_ reception desk a few meters from where he currently stood. He didn't even have the chance to reach it as Angelus savagely punched him. He hit the floor hard and was knocked unconscious.

"Charles!" Fred cried out.

She barely had time to turn back to Angelus when he grabbed her from behind. His arms held her so tight that she had to fight to breathe. He could smell the scent of paralyzing fear on her. He could feel her pulse quickening, feel her blood warming. He forced her head to the side and bared his fangs, preparing to sink them into her exposed neck.

Without warning, a sudden, sharp searing pain shot through his arm. His head shot back as he cried out in pain. He turned to look at the arrow sticking out of his arm. He let go of Fred, throwing her roughly to the floor, and spun to face his attacker.

"Honey I'm home," Buffy Summers called from the entrance to the hotel. Wesley stood beside her. He was distraught by how close Angelus had come to biting the woman he cared about.

"Buffy," Angelus seethed as he began to approach her slowly.

Buffy held her crossbow steady, her eyes watching his every step.

"What brings you here? Miss me lover?" Angelus asked. He ripped the arrow out of his arm and clutched it at his side, using it as a makeshift weapon.

"I heard you needed putting down."

"So, you came here to kill me?"

Buffy had to adjust her aim as he moved closer, "I did it once, shouldn't be too hard to do it again."

Angelus laughed, "You killed _Angel_, not me, sweetheart."

"Enough! Angelus, you're surrounded. Put the weapon down," Wesley ordered.

"Thanks for the advice, Wes, but…uh...NO," Angelus snarled, heatedly.

Silently, Buffy gestured to Wesley to take hold of her crossbow. She withdrew a stake from her inside jacket pocket and gripped it tightly at her side as she slowly descended the hotel entrance steps towards Angelus.

"Come on Angelus. No more games. Let's do this; just you and me."

"Buff, you disappoint me. You still don't know your opponent well enough. This is not about you and me, lover. Never was."

His words had the effect that he had planned. Distracted, Buffy was blindsided for a fraction of a second, which was all he needed to make his move.

He thrust the arrow he held at Wesley and it flawlessly imbedded itself into his side. Instinctively, Buffy turned towards Wesley as he cried out and sunk to his knees. Before she even had the chance to recover from taking her eyes off Angelus he grabbed her shoulders savagely and pulled her to him. He whispered in her ear, "I know you're just _dying_ to make this about you and me, Buff. Ever since you made Angel drink from you, you've been longing for the day when I'd return and satisfy your dark, nasty desires."

"You're sick…. and wrong," Buffy spat.

"Okay, so Wesley calls and you come running? That's not the Slayer I know and hate. C'mon, I know who you are, better than you do. You want someone to hurt you in all the right ways and you want me to be the one to do it." Angelus paused as he leant into her, gripping her tighter and slowly trailed his tongue over the scar on the side of her neck, "And, that's why I'll win," he continued, still at a whisper.

Abruptly, Buffy snapped out of her frozen state and used all her slayer-strength to throw him off of her and across the other side of the room. She looked at him with utter disgust, "You know nothing, Angelus. Enough talking, more hand-to-hand," she yelled as she assumed a fighting stance.

"All in good time, Buff," he replied. And then he spun on his heel and bolted for the exit. Within an instant Buffy was behind him following him. He burst through the hotel's heavy doors into the courtyard and she was right behind him still. She knew if she couldn't stop him before he reached the end of the courtyard he would vanish into the darkened chaos-stricken street.

And she was right.

**Later that Day – The Hotel**

"Buffy, we need to wait for everyone to be up to their full strength again, before we go after Angelus, half-cocked," Wesley insisted.

Buffy physically heard Wesley's words of caution, but mentally she wasn't taking any of it in. She was determined and Wesley's words were just falling on deaf ears.

Wesley watched her as she hurriedly, yet, strategically armed herself with her choice of weapons from Angel's weapons cabinet. Wesley's leg was still throbbing from the earlier arrow injury so he sat on a stool behind the Angel Investigations reception counter. He knew the more he took the opportunity to rest, the quicker he would heal.

"Buffy, listen to me," he urged her, raising his voice.

Buffy was jolted from her concentration and spun to face him, "Wesley, I came here to take down Angelus and that's what I'm preparing to do. I missed my chance earlier and I'm not going to miss a second opportunity. I made the mistake of waiting too long to act against him once before."

"That's what I've been saying for days," Connor exclaimed as he came into the room. He studied the weapons cabinet and then Buffy, interested in her choice of arms.

"Buffy, I've studied Angelus for years; his behavioural patterns, his mental state, killing patterns, you name it. I'm telling you now; this is exactly what he wants to happen. Whatever he said to you worked. He wants you to do something rash and impetuous. It will work in his favour," Wesley insisted.

"Okay, so what are you saying? We sit back and wait for him to kill us all in our sleep? I can't protect everyone if I don't know an attack is coming Wesley. I have to take the fight to him."

"And we will, but with a plan!" Wesley yelled, finally losing his temper.

"No, Wesley, Buffy is right" Connor pressed.

Wesley and Connor began to argue and within seconds the intensity in the room was unbearable.

"Okay, that's enough!" Buffy bellowed, slamming down the broadsword that she held in her hand. It made an unpleasant screeching sound as it connected with the tiled floor and took a few pieces of tile with it. She stepped towards Connor, "Let's get one thing straight; we are not going for the kill. The goal is to capture Angelus. I need you to cool down a few degrees. For now, I want someone out there patrolling the streets. There are demons everywhere. We can't stop all, but we can reduce _some_ damage. As soon as they see someone slaying demons word will get around and fewer will hit the streets. Trust me."

"What are _you_ going to do?" Connor asked, not at all happy about his assignment.

"Prepare to move against Angelus," Wesley answered for her.

Buffy nodded. She looked at Connor and sensed that he was preparing to argue with her and dismiss the orders she had just given him. She decided not to give him the chance, "What are you waiting for? You're either with me or against me. What's it gonna be, Connor?"

Connor didn't respond, but he was impressed with Buffy's general-like attitude towards him. Power always impressed him. Well, when the power was held in the hands of good people. He detested power than emanated from evil beings. Angelus was the personification of that hatred. A few moments passed and then he snapped into action, grabbed a Byzantine battle-axe that was lying on the reception counter along with numerous other weapons and headed out the door.

**Streets of Los Angeles**

Angelus sauntered through the streets that were now cloaked in permanent mid-night. He had truly struck gold this time around. Those fools at _Angel Investigations_ had summoned him at just the right time. Although, like with most things in life; there was a drawback. It was just too easy. It was a human buffet out there. There was no challenge involved. And if there was one thing that Angelus valued it was the thrill of the chase. Without that it was just a cheap kill. As these thoughts and the disappointment of it all plagued him he began to think about the Slayer. Perhaps all was not lost in the way of excitement for him. Killing Buffy would be a great achievement to add to his resume. It would be especially pleasing and satisfying because he hated her with every fibre of his being. He had never hated any of his victims before. The hatred would make the taste of the kill that much better. He would be able to savour it for a long while.

Everything in time though. And, of course, he had an eternity at his disposal.

First, he wanted to have some fun with her. As he began imagining the things he would do to her he suddenly picked up the scent of someone familiar. Connor. He followed the scent and as he got nearer he heard the unmistakable sounds of a big battle in full swing. Interesting. The Slayer had sent the boy out to do her dirty work. It begged the question; what was she doing that kept her from patrolling the streets?

She was coming for him.

He rounded a corner into a dilapidated alleyway and there he was. His son. Connor. He was battling for his life. Angelus watched him fight and was taken aback by the similarity in fighting styles between them. It was uncanny. Like father like son. He flattened his back against the wall of the alley as Connor turned in his direction. He had sensed his presence and was alarmed by it. His alarm won him a fist in his ribs and he hunched over as three more vampires rushed at him.

_This is getting boring._ Angelus turned to leave. As he did, he suddenly smelled something delicious. _Fear._ A woman ran past the entrance to the alleyway. _Things are about to get interesting._

As Angelus sunk his fangs into the beautiful blonde he held in his grasp he smiled maliciously. _You can't save them all, son._ Good had its limitations, yet evil did not.

**Demon Bar**

The bar was packed. To Angelus' annoyance some clichéd heavy metal song was blasting from the speakers as he walked in. What was it with demons and heavy metal music? It was one cliché he wouldn't mind torturing to death. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that all eyes turned to him as soon as he entered the bar. He stopped, completely still, scanning his surroundings. He waited. And then it came, right on cue. A round of applause. Word had spread that the Champion was gone and that Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, was back in the driving seat.

Angelus held up both his hands in mock gratitude, "Shucks, guys…and gals. Much appreciated. Now, let's get down to business. I got a Slayer to take care of, but to get to her; I need some people taken care of first. To put it bluntly folks, I need the best of you lowlifes to kill a bunch of humans for me. Comprende?"

No one in the bar made a move. Angelus realized that most of them were dumber than even he realized. He needed to simplify the plan. How disappointing. No wonder demons had obtained such a bad rep. Each time he returned after being out of action for a few years it seemed to get ever worse. No matter. They didn't need brains to do the job for him. Braun would suffice. Braun and numbers, to be exact.

"Well, step on up if you're interested in taking a break from this dive and getting some real action for once," Angelus challenged.

Within moments, three quarters of the patrons of the bar stepped forward. Angelus smiled.

**The Hotel**

Buffy kept hitting, punching, kicking, but it was still no use. She'd knocked the punching bag across the room a few times while trying to clear her head. Still, she couldn't keep her emotions out of the mix when it came to Angelus and what he'd said to her. She hadn't had the displeasure of his company for years and she hadn't been prepared. As soon as she'd seen him yesterday all the wounds from five years ago were brutally re-opened. She'd let him get under her skin immediately. And she knew he saw it. It gave him an edge over her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the basement door creaking open.

"Buffy?" a voice called from atop the stairs.

"What's up? Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Wesley descended the stairs, "I need to talk to you."

"Talk about what?" Buffy asked with disinterest as she began to resume her kickboxing workout.

"Angelus doesn't know you as well as he thinks. But, there is something between the two of you. And, I do mean Angelus, not Angel."

Buffy stopped working out and froze. She didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't.

"He was wrong."

"I don't think he was. But it doesn't matter."

"It's not the part of Angel in him that he was talking about. It was the darkness," Buffy confessed.

"We all have darkness in us, Buffy. You know already that a Slayer's power is in part rooted in darkness. But, just because we have it in us doesn't mean we become it. That's why we are ensouled. Angelus wants you to question yourself and he knows that as soon as you do that he holds power over you. Everyone up there needs their leader back. What matters is getting Angel back. That's all."

"I know that," Buffy said, realizing that Wesley still saw her as the school girl that she was four years ago. Well, she was a far cry from that girl now. For one thing, dying and then being resurrected by the darkest of magicks took a toll on a person. It sure as hell had changed her and she knew it was the predominant reason that she now found comfort in darkness, in the arms of a soulless demon. Spike. But, even though she was different, one thing would never change – she was the Slayer. She killed vampires. That was her job.

"That's why I'm going alone to stop Angelus."

Before Wesley could fathom a protest, Buffy headed upstairs into the Hotel lobby.

As soon as Connor saw Buffy his face lit up and a flirtatious grin crept across his face. Finally, Cordelia had graced the team with her presence. She stood, just off to the side, watching Connor's expression.

"Like father, like son" she snapped at Connor.

Connor glanced at her sheepishly and then looked away.

Buffy noticed Cordelia was with the group. "Cordy, nice to see you. It's been a long time."

"Yes it has," Cordelia replied, with a faux smile.

In that moment, Buffy sensed something was not quite right about Cordelia. She shook it off and made a mental note to attend to this insecurity once this whole Angelus fiasco was over with.

"In about ten minutes I'm going off to track Angelus and put him down. Alone," Buffy informed them.

"You're not going alone. You'll need back-up," Connor insisted.

"So I keep hearing," Buffy said, throwing Wesley a look.

"What makes you think you can stop Angelus alone when we couldn't?" Connor demanded.

"Aside from the fact that she's the only living person who has ever stopped Angelus, I don't know…. a lot of praying and a few lucky charms?" a voice came suddenly from the Hotel entrance.

Buffy spun around. She smiled when she saw who it was. _Willow._

"Good to see you Will. Your timing is impeccable as per usual," Buffy exclaimed.

"Okay, it's settled. Buffy will hunt Angelus down and bring him back here. Meanwhile, Willow, Fred and I will work on the spell to restore Angelus' soul. And…" Wesley began.

Before he could finish, Buffy cut him off, "Cordy, you and Lorne – when he gets back - get the sanctuary spell up and running. Until then, Connor and Gunn, guard the perimeter for any signs of an attack."

"You think Angelus will avoid you and come for us?" Wesley asked, not believing it in Angelus' character to do this.

"No. I think he will try to have you all killed while he and I are battling it out," Buffy said bluntly. She noticed everyone's silent gasps and wide-eyed expressions of pure fear.

"It's what he did in Sunnydale," Willow explained.

Buffy finished explaining the plan and ensuring everyone understood their roles and then she headed to the weapon's cabinet.

Wesley followed after her, "Buffy-"

Buffy held up her hand to stop him, "Don't Wesley."

"Just watch your back with him. The things he says…. the things he might try to do. Especially to you, because of your history and the fact that you destroyed his opportunity with Acathla. He will want to hurt you more than any victim. You need to be ready."

"I am," Buffy said.

And with that, she walked out of the Hotel.

Wesley watched her go. He wasn't convinced. There was something there, a disturbing look in her eye whenever Angelus was mentioned, that he just couldn't put his finger on.

**Wolfram and Hart Offices**

There were bodies everywhere. Body _parts. _it was a massacre. A beautiful massacre crafted by the Beast's own two hands. Angelus couldn't help but be impressed by the masterpiece that the great big rock demon had fashioned. It was intoxicating. The blood. The devastation. But, he had to focus. He had come for information.

He approached Lilah's office. There was rubble where the door had been. He stepped over it effortlessly and headed for the desk. He searched the desk, the bookshelves behind it, everywhere, for a good fifteen minutes. _Nothing._ Or at least if there was anything he sure as the depths of hell couldn't find it. Frustrated he ripped out the locked desk drawers and threw them across the room. They shattered into pieces from the brutal impact with the walls.

"Dear, dear, are things not going your way?" a voice came from the doorway.

Angelus spun around. A devilish grin crept across his face when he saw who it was, "I was just thinking about you," he said, subtly referring to the desk drawers he had just brutalized.

"How sweet," Buffy shot back.

He dropped the remaining desk drawer that he still had in his hand and took a step towards her, "So, how times have changed since I've been out of the picture. You got the new hairstyle, the big girl clothes and attitude. And that body…. umm…well, I for one wouldn't pass up the chance to give those new muscles of yours a workout," he said, licking his lips, "Oh and let's not forget, you died. And, my boy, Spike. Sure as hell didn't see that one coming, Buff. Guess you're not the good little girl you used to be, eh?" Angelus said, with a laugh.

"Nice. Thanks for the trip down memory lane," Buffy replied stoically.

"Hmm…. so, what's the deal here? You want me to give you what you've been fantasizing about? Come closer and I just might."

"Don't flatter yourself, Angelus. Keep your distance," she ordered, assuming a fighting stance.

"Okay, I guess all there's left to do is fight."

With that, Angelus shot out his fist. She wasn't expecting it and she failed to block it as it connected with her face. She stumbled backwards and fought to clear her vision as blood poured from her nose, the pain forcing tears to her eyes. Angelus didn't give her the chance to recover. He side kicked her into the desk, then clasped his hands together and slammed them into her back.

Buffy clawed at the table to keep from falling to the floor. She turned towards him, but she was too slow and he struck her brutally across the head with a hefty desk lamp. She crumpled to the floor, struggling to recover. There was no time as he savagely kicked her across to the other side of the room. She hit the wall hard and smacked face first onto the hard concrete floor. She was bleeding from a dozen places.

"What's this? The great slayer can't take a beating? Not feeling yourself, Buff?" he said, approaching.

Buffy watched him walk towards her. He lifted his leg to kick her, but she grabbed his foot and pushed it back hard, knocking him off balance. He crashed to the floor.

Within seconds, she was straddling him, stake in hand.

"Wait!" Angelus shouted.

He gripped her wrist, preventing her from bringing the stake down. He held her arm in mid-air.

"Wait for what?"

He pressed his finger to his lips to silence her. He listened intently for a while, then whispered, "He's here." The whisper was barely audible and Buffy had to strain to hear him.

He felt her relax her grip on the stake and he used the opportunity to gently move her off him so as not to make a sound. He crept towards the door. Buffy hurried after him, not prepared to let him escape. There was no way she was going to let that happen. She yelled for him to stop in his tracks. Then, without warning, he grabbed hold of her and slammed her against the wall, holding his hand over her mouth.

"It's the Beast. Stop your struggling. I can't take him alone and neither can you," he hissed.

"You think I'm going to trust your word?" Buffy demanded after ripping his hand from her mouth.

"You don't have a choice, Buff."

"There's no way the two of us can work together on this, Angelus."

"You think I want to work with _you_? Keep dreaming. I work alone. But, this time it's different. He's stronger than any demon you've ever faced."

"I fought a God," Buffy shot back.

"Yeah and you died," Angelus contended.

"I don't trust you."

"Works both ways, sweetheart. Alliances aren't built on trust, they're built on need. And that's the scenario we're looking at now. You wanna die instead? I could make that happen right now if you want."

Buffy was silent for a moment as she contemplated his offer. Could the two of them really survive better as a team? What kind of alliance could ever be created out of the intense hatred and disgust that they had for each other? Nevertheless, she had heard Wesley's reports on the Beast and how easily he took down Team Angel. She would need more than just her alone to survive a run-in with that hell spawn.

"Okay, you're right, we have no choice. But, get your damned hands off me before I tear them off me."

Angelus smirked and then slowly let go of her.

**The Hotel**

Since Buffy had left the Hotel to hunt Angelus, Team Angel had dispersed to carry out the orders that the Slayer had given each of them. Connor was out patrolling the streets and Cordelia was sitting tight, waiting for Lorne to return with more ingredients for the sanctuary spell. Fred had returned alone, citing that Lorne had to visit a few demon contacts of his and that living things, namely humans, weren't welcome.

Wesley sat behind the desk in Angel's office as he, Fred and Willow discussed the soul restoration ritual. As they were talking, Cordelia sauntered into the office, "So, Willow, you think you can work the spell again?"

"I have no doubt. The first time I did it I wasn't even a full-fledged Wicca. Should be a piece of cake this time around," Willow replied, distractedly as she gathered the ingredients of the spell.

As Cordelia came further into the room Willow turned sharply in her direction. Wesley noticed her sudden movement.

"What is it Willow?" he asked, concerned.

"It's nothing, I just...uh…I thought I left one of the ingredients for the spell back in Sunnydale, but then I…uh…realized that, in fact, I did not," Willow replied awkwardly.

"Don't worry, Willow. If you did leave anything, we could most probably pick it up here in L.A," Fred assured her.

As Cordelia, Wesley and Fred continued to converse, Willow completely zoned out. She was secretly meditating, trying to determine exactly what she had just sensed in Cordelia. She knew one thing for sure; it was pure evil. She could still feel it. It was intense and powerful. The body of Cordelia stood before her, but inside her was something else all together.

Willow was abruptly forced out of her meditative state by the sound of a phone ringing.

"Hello, Angel Investigations. How may I….what…Buffy? What are you doing there? Angelus is _with_ you?" Wesley's voice quickly rose in intensity and became shriller and more panicked as the conversation wore on.


	2. PART TWO Deceit and Denial

**PART TWO: DECEIT & DENIAL**

**Sewers underneath Wolfram & Hart**

Buffy and Angelus crashed onto the slimy, decrepit sewer floor after careening down the hidden exit shoot in one of Wolfram & Hart's storage rooms. They tumbled into a heap on the floor. Angelus was the first to shake Buffy off him and get to his feet. _Couldn't Wesley have given us a better route out of this place?_

"So, now we've retreated, what's the great plan for tracking that thing?" Buffy asked, agitated that Angelus had insisted that they retreat, rather than stand and fight.

"You think it'll be hard to track a huge rock-like demon who's destroying everything and anyone in his path? We follow the trail of destruction, Buff," Angelus told her, snidely.

"You're afraid of the Beast."

Angelus laughed, a cruel mocking laugh as he casually approached her, "Buffy, this isn't about fear. It's the difference between being smart and being a fool."

"Whatever you say, Angelus," Buffy replied distractedly as she continued to brush herself off following their fall.

Without warning, Angelus slammed her roughly against the sewer wall. She could feel her entire body shake at the impact.

"You wanna talk about fear? I'm smelling a hell of a lot coming from you right now."

" Don't flatter yourself. You'll turn to dust, just like the rest," she replied, trying to ignore the pain of his hands tightening their grip on her arms.

"Is that what you tell yourself these days? What terrifies you is that you want me. You know what I am, but still you can't deny it. All that's stopping you is the nagging little fear that once you let yourself have a taste, you may just like it too much."

Reacting to his words, Buffy broke out of his grip and shot out her fist to strike him. He saw it coming and grabbed her brutally.

He forced her closer to him, "I thought we had a truce? I don't want to fight, Buff."

He gripped her tighter and just looked at her for a long moment. Then, all of a sudden, he let go of her arms, instead putting _his_ arms around her and kissed her fiercely.

Buffy was too overwhelmed to think; in fact she couldn't. She just reacted. His kiss was so intense, so powerful; she couldn't pull away from it. She pulled him closer. His hands fondled her face, her neck, her hair.

Angelus was pressed against her. There was no space in between. Even though he didn't breathe the both of them were gasping, but neither one of them could break away.

For months back in Sunnydale he had taunted her, stalked her, tried to destroy her life. She despised him. He despised her. They were mortal enemies. Now, it was as if all that tension, all that energy of the revulsion they held for each other was forcibly released in this unprecedented moment of reckless passion and abandonment. It was overwhelming and it overpowered them both.

"Angelus!" a deep, gravelly voice boomed from behind them. It echoed through the sewers.

In unison, Buffy and Angelus broke away, pushing each other back. They both stumbled, clutching their mouths; incredulous at what had just happened between them. They turned in the direction of the voice.

It was the Beast. He was here.

"Hey there, Beastie boy. What brings you down to this filth?" Angelus asked, mockingly.

"Do not mock me Angelus. Why do you hide? It doesn't have to be this way."

Buffy watched, awestruck. She hadn't actually caught a glimpse of the Beast yet. She had seen hundreds of demons in her career as a Slayer, but the Beast was a mammoth being. He embodied the very essence of what the word 'demon' meant to her: the horns, the cloven hooves, and the sheer size of him. It was astonishing. No wonder Angelus feared this creature. His mere appearance certainly made him worthy of that fear.

"Who is this? Your mate?" the Beast asked, looking at Buffy.

Angelus tried to hide his uneasiness at what had just happened between him and Buffy, so he deflected the question, "This is The Slayer."

The Beast took a step towards Buffy and she braced herself, assuming a fighting stance. The Beast laughed a deep, resounding, wicked laugh, "This is a Slayer? So fragile, so…. Human."

"She's tougher than she looks. Trust me," Angelus replied, speaking from his past experience.

"Angelus, join me. Together we can slaughter this world; kill and destroy all. Is this not what you want? I do not understand your reasons," the Beast pressed.

"Look, big boy. Don't take offence. It's just; I don't like company. Comprende?"

The Beast looked at Angelus, uncertainly.

"It means I want you to back off!" Angelus roared, angrily.

For a long moment the Beast didn't move. He was deep in thought. Finally, he spoke, "So be it."

He sped towards Angelus, attacking.

But Angelus was faster. He morphed into his game face and flew at the Beast. He dodged numerous hits and got in a few of his own until the Beast's fists finally connected with his flesh. The blows were so powerful that they sent Angelus reeling painfully into the sewer wall.

Instinctively, the Beast turned towards Buffy and glared at her heatedly.

Buffy ran to attack.

But no matter how many kicks, punches, and hits she landed on the demon it barely wounded him.

She took a step back as he approached her and withdrew a pistol she had in her jacket. She fired off shot after shot, but he kept stomping towards her. The bullets didn't do any damage. They just ricocheted off him sending fragments throughout the sewer, which she ended up having to dodge. Unfortunately, she was too pre-occupied with avoiding the bullets that she didn't have the chance to move out of the way of the Beast himself.

He grabbed her just before she could fire off the final shot. He held her by her neck, choking her. She clutched his arm, trying to release his grip, but it was no use. She was losing breath rapidly. She could feel her body weakening, begging to slip into unconsciousness. She would not let it. Not now. Not in the sewers. Not like this. She couldn't die here.

"Slayer, you are strong, but I am stronger. You cannot overpower me," the Beast roared down at her.

Buffy could barely hear his words. She could barely see the demon or anything around her. She was drifting out of consciousness. No matter how much she tried to stop it, the fact was that she couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, she heard Angelus' voice. She knew he was shouting at the Beast, but it sounded so faint.

"You know what this is?" Angelus yelled at the Beast.

He was holding a grenade in the air. His finger was on the trigger release, ready to drop it at any time.

"Tell me," the Beast demanded.

"It's called a grenade. As soon as I drop it, it will blow this place to crap, you great hunk of rock. Kaboom! Are you willing to take the chance that it won't do the same to you? After all, I thought you had a mission or something? You know, to continue your reign of fire and the blotting out the sun thing?" Angelus threatened, edging closer.

He waited for the Beast to react. He reasoned that it probably took time for thoughts to process through that solid rock head of his.

"Fine, Angelus. But, you and I will battle again," the Beast warned. He dropped Buffy. She hit the ground hard. He turned slowly and began walking back the way he had come.

As Angelus bent down to carry Buffy out of the sewer, she turned to him and rasped, "Why are you saving me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Don't get excited, Buff. I'm not Angel. The Beast doesn't get to kill you and he knows it. You're my kill. We'll take a rain check on that 'til you can give me a good fight. You know how I like the chase."

Angelus took hold of her gun and threw it upwards towards a sewer grate. It broke the grate, providing them an exit. Then, he turned to the Beast who was still slowly making his way out of the sewers, "Oh, one more thing. I lied. Catch."

Angelus flipped the release on the grenade and lobbed it at the Beast. It landed at his feet. He looked at Angelus, dumbfounded. Wasting no time, Angelus, carrying Buffy, leaped upwards through the sewer exit and evacuated the area. Within seconds a huge explosion ripped through the sewer tunnel, desecrating it.

**#**

**The Hotel**

Willow and Wesley sat outside in the courtyard. The rest of the Angel Investigations team were inside, busy with the tasks that the Slayer had assigned to them. Willow had filled Wesley in on what she had sensed in Cordelia and for the past few moments he had remained silent as he tried to comprehend the information.

"Are you still inside there somewhere?" Willow asked finally, breaking the silence.

Wesley shook himself out of his contemplative state and turned to face her, "We know that the Beast isn't acting single-handedly. He has a master. This evil and disconnection within Cordelia that you felt suggests that the Beast Master may in fact be her or the body that resembles her."

"Cordelia is still in there. I can feel her essence. But, she's trapped and it's pretty clear it's not _her_ who is driving anymore," Willow informed him.

"It all adds up now. The mysterious killing of the priestesses, the disappearance of Angel's soul from a safe, which only our team knew the combination to. It's all been her doing. We have to confine her to stop her from doing any more damage until we can figure out how to stop what is happening. She's a danger to us all."

Willow nodded in agreement.


	3. PART THREE Grey Areas Become Them

**PART THREE: Grey Areas Become Them**

**Streets of Los Angeles**

Buffy leant against the wall of the alleyway, caressing her throat while Angelus paced back and forth.

"Do you think the explosion killed him? It was extremely close-range," Buffy asked him.

"Unlikely. That great hunk of rock is near enough invincible. Even with the both of us attacking at full force it didn't do a damned thing."

"Full force? You weren't exactly at your greatest," Buffy chided him.

"Yeah, well, maybe I was a little bit distracted, Buff."

"Can we not talk about that?" Buffy demanded, edgily.

"What's the matter? Disgusted with yourself? Well count me in on that one."

"Just...shut up."

"And if I recall I saved _your_ ass. If I hadn't been there he'd have ripped your throat out."

"Did anyone ever tell you, you talk too much?" Buffy shouted, punching him so hard that he lost his balance. She walked towards him, slowly, withdrawing a stake and gripping it tightly.

Angelus looked up at her, stunned, as he wiped blood off of his lips.

"I'm taking you in, Angelus. You obviously can't help me stop the Beast. I have no use for you."

Angelus jumped to his feet, "That hurt, lover," he told her, evilly.

Buffy assumed a fighting stance.

"Buffy, Buffy, Buffy, you know, we've been through this before. And, I'm not one for déjà vu."

Buffy just looked at him, stone-faced as she concentrated on her defence. She knew that Angelus moved unbelievably fast so she had to hone all her instincts to be able to respond to any sudden attack from him.

"You can't stop the Beast alone and the rest of those fools back at the Hotel don't have a clue. Besides, they may not make it through the night. They don't have super-human powers, Buff. You really think you'd stand a better chance without me?"

Still standing strong, Buffy asked him, "Why won't they make it through the night? What did you do?"

"A few undead acquaintances of mine will be making a house call. Don't look so stunned. I'm evil, remember? Besides, I figured you were gonna launch a group attack so I had to narrow down the numbers a little, say to between just you and me. I didn't expect you to come after me alone. It's never been your style."

"How many?" Buffy demanded.

"A dozen or so. So I'm thinking you don't have time to take me on. You need to save them, being a hero and all," Angelus told her, unfeelingly.

"That's where you're wrong. I figured you'd pull something like this. You think I'd fall for this again? You lure me away and try to have my friends killed? It's an old ploy, Angelus. You really ought to change your act. It's getting older than you," Buffy told him, vehemently.

"So, what? There are on the alert? You think that'll be enough to stop a dozen demons from murdering them all? C'mon, Buff. You need a reality check."

"I brought a friend along with me."

"Who?"

"Willow."

"Last time I checked, Buff, she wasn't a Slayer. They're all gonna die," Angelus laughed.

"I forgot how long you've been out of the loop. She's probably the most powerful Wicca on the Western Hemisphere, Angelus. She'll handle it. So, enough with the distractions. You're going back to that cage."

Angelus started to approach her slowly, moving like the predator he was, "So, she's here to restore my soul. Nice, very _nice,_" Angelus seethed.

Before the last word had left his lips he side kicked her brutally in the stomach, forcing her backwards.

"But, it ain't gonna happen," he roared, as he lunged at her.

**Back at the Hotel**

**Same Time**

Wesley sat behind his desk with Willow opposite him. For the last twenty minutes they had been discussing their options on what to do about Cordelia. Wesley had just paged Gunn, Fred and Lorne, summoning them to his office.

As the three of them entered, Wesley and Willow ceased their conversation.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked, regarding Wesley's deeply troubled expression.

"Where's Cordelia?" was all Wesley responded.

"She's taking a nap. She's still not feeling well after Angel wounded her with that crossbow bolt."

"Okay, good. Close the door."

As Lorne closed the door, Gunn turned to Wesley, "What's going on? Don't get all cryptic on us, Wes."

Wesley studied everyone's fearful expressions. He knew they were probably all bracing themselves for more bad news. There'd been too much of that lately and he hated to be the bearer of even more. But, if what Willow had sensed was true and he was confident it was then it would take a team effort to deal with the situation if they hoped to have any small measure of success.

"As you know, Willow is an exceptionally powerful Wicca. This means she is deeply attuned to everyone and everything around her. She is connected to the Earth, so to speak. When she arrived here she sensed something evil in the Hotel."

"Something evil? That would have registered on my aura radar, Wes," Lorne told him, sceptically.

Willow stood up and spoke to them, "The evil is powerful. Pure. And it's in transition, meaning its preparing for something more. A next stage I'm guessing. Something this powerful knows how to cover its tracks. It must be blocking Lorne's reading capabilities somehow. We'd need to research to figure out how. But, the point is, I sensed it in Cordelia."

"What? Cordy's evil?" Fred asked, incredulously.

"I told you that Connor couldn't be trusted. Ever since they shacked up she's been getting weirder and weirder. And now she's evil. You can't tell me this is a coincidence," Gunn responded.

"Gunn, we can't jump to any conclusions. We must stay with the facts. Those being, Cordy, whether it's still her in there or not, is not the Cordy we knew. We know that on three occasions, events have happened that have left us with no explanation until now. The killing of Manny, the priestess massacre and Angel's soul being stolen. Knowing what we now know about Cordy we have to arrive at the conclusion that she may behind _all_ of this and that she is also controlling the Beast in some way," Wesley said.

"She's the Beast's master that Angelus talked about?" Gunn asked.

Wesley nodded in agreement.

"So, what are we going to do, Wesley? Kill her?" Fred asked, nervously.

"Willow and I have discussed it and there is something we can do. There's a spell that will act like a barrier between her and everything in this world. She will not be able to affect this dimension in any way, be that physically, verbally or through any type of mind control. We are assuming that she or the evil within her has certain telepathic capabilities, given that she is communicating with the Beast without leaving the Hotel."

"Wes, to try to trap the intensity of evil you've described we're talking black magic here. Powerful and dangerous," Lorne warned.

"It can be done. I can work this," Willow assured them.

"Okay, so for now, I vote we lock her up in that cage before she can do any more damage," Gunn said.

"Agreed," Wesley said confidently.

"How about Connor? He's been in close contact with her for a heck of a long time. What if he's been infected?" Fred asked, worriedly.

"It's doubtful that it's something contagious, Fred. But, we do have to talk to Connor when he returns. He needs to know what is going on," Wesley replied.

"And he ain't gonna like this," Gunn concluded.

"What aren't I going to like?" a voice spoke from behind them.

It was Connor. He had entered the room so stealthily that no one had noticed. Like father, like son. He leant against the door, using it to support his weight. He was a wreck. He was battered and bruised, bleeding from a dozen different wounds. He held a battleaxe limply in his hand. His eyes barely focused as he looked at them, waiting for a response to his question.

"Oh my God, Connor. Are you okay?" Fred asked, moving towards him.

"I'm fine. What's going on?" he said, curtly.

"It's Cordy. She's…. well…. she's evil," Fred told him.

"What do you mean she's evil?" Connor asked, incredulous.

"We don't have time for this. Lorne give me a hand," Gunn said.

He signalled to Wesley that he and Lorne were heading upstairs. They were going to bring Cordy down to the basement and confine her there in the cage where Angelus had been. Gunn reasoned that by the time Wesley was finished convincing Connor that Cordelia was the enemy she could have done a lot more damage.

"Where are they going?" Connor asked as Gunn and Lorne headed across the Hotel to the staircase.

"We are going to confine Cordelia until we can banish whatever is controlling her. She's a danger to us all right now, Connor. Understand that," Wesley told him.

"Wesley's right, Connor. We have no choice," Fred piped up.

Connor didn't say anything for a few moments. He didn't move. He just glared at them all, trying to comprehend the shocking information that they had just given him.

Willow watched Connor carefully. He was most definitely a wildcard. He was unpredictable, much like his father, she reflected. And that trait was the last thing that was needed at this time. It would just serve to exacerbate the situation further.

"No choice? Like we had no choice in bringing forth Angelus? Look how well that worked out. You people don't know what you're doing," Connor said, and turned to leave the office. As he stepped towards the door an invisible barrier pushed him back. He couldn't move forward. He turned back to the group, sharply. Willow was holding one arm outstretched. Her hand was tensed and her pupils looked as though they were dilated. _Magic_. She was working a spell on him.

"You're not going anywhere. Look at the facts. It makes sense. You know we're right," Willow told him.

As Willow spoke, Cordelia's protests could be heard in the hotel as Gunn and Lorne took her to the basement to confine her.

Connor heaved a sigh and then took a seat in one of the chairs situated around the desk.

"Thank you Connor," Wesley said.

"There _is_ something different about her. I just thought it was cuz she got her memory back."

Willow stood up, "Okay, I better get cracking on that spell."

"How about re-souling Angelus?" Fred reminded them.

"Yeah, where is Buffy? She's been gone a long time," Connor asked, worriedly.

"She'll be back soon," Willow assured them.

As she heard herself say the words she realized she wasn't feeling too sure herself. Buffy had been gone an awfully long time and the last they had heard from her she and Angelus were working together to stop the Beast. Willow remembered that Angelus was very manipulative. Although Buffy was the Slayer and she had endured Angelus' manipulations before it was still possible that he could have succeeded in getting to her this time, especially given the extraordinary history between them.

Wesley didn't elaborate on the issue. But, he was anxious about the entire situation. He had warned Buffy to be wary of Angelus. Even after she had told him she was ready he couldn't help but wonder whether she really was. Angelus was expertly versed in psychology and manipulation of humans and demons alike. It was one of the main reasons he had made such a horrific name for himself. He didn't just kill like an animal, as was characteristic of the vampire species; it was an art to him. He was once the Scourge of Europe after all and he'd had years to perfect this artistry. Wesley had studied Angelus for years as a Watcher and he had truly thought he was prepared, when the day had arrived when they had resurrected Angelus and he had taken the responsibility of attempting to interrogate him on his knowledge of the Beast. However, he had to admit it to himself, if not the others, that he had fallen short. Angelus was a master of the craft and Wesley was merely an amateur. So, now the question was; where did Buffy fall on this scale?

"Wesley!" Connor shouted, suddenly jumping to his feet.

Wesley was jolted out of his pensive state by the sounds of glass smashing and battle cries coming from the entrance to the Hotel. He rose to his feet. He and Connor exchanged a look.

"Angelus. He sent an attacking force to destroy us," Wesley realized aloud.

Fred, Wesley, Connor and Willow rushed into the Hotel lobby to be hastily met by Gunn and Lorne.

"She's secure," Gunn informed them.

Wesley nodded in response, but remained focused on the dozen or so demons, vampires and God knew what else, slowly approaching them. Within an instant, Connor had sped across the Hotel to the weapons cabinet and now stood beside them again with numerous weapons. He handed one to each of them.

The demons attacked. Team Angel responded.

Within moments, they were engaged in a full-fledged fight to the death.

They gained the upper hand for a while, but eventually it proved futile as there were just too many demons. And as they killed one after the other more arrived. They just kept coming. Angelus had definitely thought this one through. After all, he knew each of their strengths and weaknesses. He knew how much they could take and what would push each of them over the edge. He knew what would defeat them.

"There's too many of them!" Gunn yelled, as he decapitated a vampire and dust flew at him.

Wesley was surrounded by three demons. They encircled him. He turned to Lorne, "Now!" he screamed.

Lorne took a deep breath and then belted out a lengthy high-pitched note that shook the entire Hotel. Team Angel held their hands to their ears. The demons fell to their knees in pain.

That was when Willow saw her opportunity. Despite the excruciating noise coming from Lorne, she managed to block it out in order to accomplish the task at hand. She uttered some words in Latin and then she vigorously threw out her hands in the direction of the demons. A blinding flash of light followed and a semi-transparent wall shimmered into existence.

Lorne released the note he had been holding. The demons started to get to their feet. A couple of them ran towards Team Angel, but the wall stopped them in their tracks. It was impenetrable. Willow had created a powerful barrier around Team Angel. They were safe, for the time being.

"What the hell?" Gunn said, feeling the barrier.

"It's a force-field of some kind?" Fred asked, studying it.

"Somewhat. It's a protective barrier. It should hold for a half-day or so," Willow informed them.

"Impressive," Wesley told her as he lowered his weapon and eyed the barrier.

"Yep, it's pretty nifty," Willow responded.

"Okay, good, we're not dead yet. So, how about we get an ETA on that Slayer of yours?" Lorne said, looking at Willow.

"She'll have Angelus under control by now," Connor guessed, a subtle trace of lust in his voice.

**Streets of Los Angeles**

Buffy crashed into a dumpster, the force of her impact, denting it slightly.

Angelus approached her, "Getting tired, lover?"

He grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and hauled her to her feet. Buffy slammed his arms up and away from her, finishing with a roundhouse kick that propelled him a good few feet away.

"Just getting started. Why? You wanna call a time-out?" she asked as she assaulted him with a powerful flying kick.

Angelus laughed maniacally as she ruthlessly attacked him with punch after punch. Finally she grabbed hold of him and slammed him hard into the concrete alley wall.

"What's so funny, Angelus?"

"It's _funny_ how much you're trying to deny it, sweetheart."

"What are you talking about this time?"

"How badly you want me to stick it to you, Buff. And no matter how brutal you fight me it won't go away. In fact, its kinda turning me on," he told her, flashing an animalistic grin.

Buffy hauled him away from the wall and threw him like he was no weight at all across the other side of the alley. Angelus hit the ground hard.

"Nice. You're a lot stronger than I remember. Or, perhaps you're just a lot darker, huh?"

Angelus swiftly rolled back and flipped himself to his feet. Buffy watched, disgusted, as he tasted his own blood dripping from his mouth.

Angelus circled her, predatorily, but Buffy stayed, rooted to the spot, relying on her peripheral vision and her slayer instincts to follow his movements.

"Just admit it Buff, I get you fired up. You need evil in your man. It gets you off. All that time spent fighting in the darkness; it's made you crave it more. Darkness is the source of a Slayer's power. That's why you were with Angel and that's why you let Spike stick it to you time and time again. And that's why you were never satisfied with that army boy. He didn't have it in him. I know what makes you tick, Buff."

He watched her. She was intensely aware and alert of every move he made. He decided to stop circling her. He wanted her off-guard. He relished the unpredictability that he emanated and right now she was ruining that for him. He moved slowly to stand in front of her and held out his hands, dramatically.

He told her, lustfully, "So, you want to taste the darkness; I'm right here."

Without warning, Buffy leapt up in the air and assaulted him with a flying kick. The force of the kick was so powerful that it spun him into the alleyway wall. He lost his balance and slumped to the floor. Buffy didn't wait for him to recover. She flew over to where he lay, sprawled against the wall, and assaulted him relentlessly with hit after hit. He didn't even have the time to react to defend himself, because the hits just kept coming. Before long he lay on the ground, blood oozing from his mouth. He could barely hold his head up as he looked at her.

Buffy stood, glaring down at him, "You could _never_ hope to understand the source of a Slayer's power. You're nothing, Angelus. You're just a disease that Angel is forced to live with. You have no purpose here", she said, "But I _do_." She bent down and grabbed him by his hair, forcing him to look at her, "And that's why _I_ win," she said, as she brutally smacked him in the face, knocking him into unconsciousness.

**Back at the Hotel**

During the past half hour the small army of demons that Angelus had sent to murder Team Angel had gradually dispersed. They had neither the patience nor the intelligence to deal with the barrier that Willow had formed around them. Angelus had promised them destruction and human death, but it was clear now that the humans they had come for would not in fact be their helpless victims. With that in mind they had decided to search elsewhere. The streets of L.A. were just full of feeble humans ripe for the killing.

"Well, thank the Gods, that's over," Lorne said, sighing as he sat down heavily on the circular couch in the lobby.

Fred joined him, "I'd say so," she breathed, resting her battleaxe up against the couch.

Gunn and Connor still stood alert, weapons in hand, facing the Hotel entrance.

"It's doubtful they will return, but there's no harm in leaving the barrier intact for a while," Wesley told them, laying down his own weapon on the reception counter.

Lorne wiped his brow and stood up slowly, "Alright guys and gals, I'll get to work on the sanctuary spell so we have some protection when the barrier collapses."

"Good idea" Wesley replied.

And with that, Lorne headed behind the reception desk and began to organize the spell ingredients.

Connor turned on his heel and started to walk away from the group, "I'll go check on Cordy", he announced over his shoulder.

Fred hurriedly got up and ran after him, "Uh…Connor. It's okay. I'll go check on her. It's better that way."

"What? You guys think I'm going to set her free? I knew you didn't trust me."

"Listen, Connor. Fred is right. Cordelia has established a connection with you. It's possible she may have some power over you. Until we know for certain that that is not the case we need to take precautions," Wesley ordered.

"Fine," Connor reluctantly agreed. He watched as Fred headed to the basement.

"Willow, you and I need to prepare the spell to re-insoul Angel. Buffy should be back any moment," Wesley told her.

"She should have been back a while ago. I'm thinking it wasn't the best idea to let her go alone to face him. Well…. uh…not_ let_, but you know what I mean," Willow said, worriedly.

"She's a Slayer. He's a vampire. Off course she can handle it. It's her job," Connor told them.

"It's a little more complicated than that when it comes to the two of them. It's all angst and…well…you have the cliff-notes. No need to dredge up those days again. It makes me goosebumpy just talking about it…not a whole lot of fun anyhows. She'll be back soon…." Willow trailed off.

"Or, possibly sooner than that," Buffy's voice boomed from the Hotel's entrance.

Abruptly, they all turned towards her. Buffy entered the hotel. Angelus was draped over her shoulder unconscious. Buffy was badly cut and bruised. She was covered with dirt and she was sweating from Angelus' weight bearing down on her. Clearly Angelus had put up a formidable resistance. Everyone stared at her in utter disbelief and awe. She had succeeded in capturing Angelus.

"Uh…. guys, can I get some help here? We don't have much time. He'll wake up soon," Buffy urged them.

Gunn hurried towards her, sharing Angelus' dead weight.

Wesley called to Connor, "Get the handcuffs and chains. Rope won't hold him when he wakes up."

Connor didn't reply. He just sped away, urgently.

"Well, sweet thing, you are most definitely the woman of the hour," Lorne told her, remaining behind the reception counter, keen to stay as far away from Angelus as possible.

Buffy smiled in response. She cringed in pain as she helped Gunn lift Angelus up the double staircase. The toll of her fight with the Beast and the insane number of fights with Angelus was starting to wear on her.

"Let's get him upstairs. Quickly," Buffy choked out.

Wesley approached Buffy and also took hold of Angelus. He could see the Slayer was in substantial pain. She had, after all, faced both Angelus and the Beast concurrently. Even for a Slayer it was quite a feat. Struggling, they carried Angelus upstairs. Buffy kicked open the door to Angel's apartment and they laid him down on the bed, careful not to make any harsh or sudden movements in case it jolted him back into consciousness. Connor arrived with the chains and he and Gunn set about restraining Angelus. As they did so, Wesley turned to Buffy, who was staring at Angelus intently. She was both stoic and expressionless.

"Buffy, are you okay?" he asked her, concerned.

Buffy didn't respond. She just continued scrutinizing Angelus. Wesley guessed that she was watching him for any sign of him coming to.

In reality, that wasn't why she was watching him. It was far more than that.

"What happened out there with him?" Wesley pressed.

Buffy broke her gaze and turned to Wesley. Her mind flashed back to that moment of reckless passion between her and Angelus in the sewers. She forced it out of her mind.

"I tracked him, we fought and now he's here," she said simply.

Gently, Wesley grabbed her by her arm and pulled her aside, outside Angel's apartment door, beyond earshot of the others, "Did something happen between the two of you?" he asked her, concerned. "It's better if I know, Buffy."

Buffy met Wesley's eyes, "Let's just put that soul back ASAP, Wes," she said, deflecting the question.

With that, she turned and walked away back to the Hotel lobby.

Wesley watched her go, realizing that something had most definitely happened between her and Angelus. Clearly, she was too distraught, or perhaps, disappointed in herself to talk about it. Moreover, talking about it would mean releasing any shred of denial. He reasoned that her denial was probably the only thing that was keeping her level-headed right now in regards to Angelus. Wesley had told her that he thought she wasn't ready to face Angelus alone, that she was too close to Angel, and, thus, far too easy for Angelus to play with and manipulate. Had he been correct in his assumption? His gut told him that yes, unfortunately he had been. Or, another, somewhat disturbing possibility was that Angelus hadn't manipulated her into anything. If that were the case then it would be imperative that they re-insoul Angelus as swiftly as possible.

Truth be told, Wesley was trying to stall this as best he could, because they had brought Angelus forth for one reason only: to provide them with critical information to stop the Beast, stop the reign of fire and bring back the sun. At present, Angelus had faced the Beast, but to no avail. They were no closer to stopping the Beast than they had been before they extracted his soul. Wesley would not, nor could he bear to let this be all for nothing. Moreover, he could not fail them and he could not fail himself.

He entered Angel's apartment where Connor and Gunn were just finishing up restraining Angelus.

Suddenly, Angelus awoke. However, he did not try to bolt forward or release himself of the chains and shackles. Instead, he just opened his eyes and looked around the room slowly. He was clearly disorientated and in some pain from the beating he had taken from the Slayer. It showed through the rips in his clothing, the cuts and the bruises on his face and arms. He was definitely the worse for wear. Buffy had grown far stronger than Wesley had ever imagined even a Slayer could. She was far more powerful than he had remembered. Now she walked that line of invincibility so closely. That fact that Angelus hadn't been prepared for her was a testament to just how far she had come as a Slayer in the last five years. Wesley wondered briefly whether, to tap into that power, she had perhaps been forced to touch the darkness, which lay at the root of every Slayer's power as it had done for generations. Were this in fact the case, was she still the same Slayer he'd had under his charge in Sunnydale?

He forced himself to focus on the issue at hand: stopping the Beast. He would deal with the rest later.

"I need to talk to Angelus," Wesley told Gunn and Connor. They looked at him, apprehensively.

"He's dangerous, Wesley. What if he breaks free?" Connor warned him.

"It's highly unlikely he'll be doing that anytime soon."

"Yeah, I'm with Wes. That Slayer really did a number on him," Gunn observed.

Connor turned and studied Angelus for a moment. Seemingly satisfied that he was too beaten to even consider trying to break free, Connor nodded at Wesley, "Alright. But I'll be nearby."

As he walked past Wesley he handed him a hunting knife. Wesley nodded in gratitude and then Gunn and Connor left the room. Wesley shut the door, locking it behind him. He pulled a nearby chair up to the side of the bed where Angelus lay.

"Fun's over, Angelus," he told him, icily.

"There'll just be a short intermission, Wes. Don't kid yourself," Angelus rasped.

"Listen, Angelus, no more games. No more manipulations or snide comments. You have one chance to give me the information I need, because, I know it's in there somewhere. That's all. One chance."

"Or what? You'll kill me? Put my soul back? You're gonna do it anyway. That's why the witch is here, Wes. What's your leverage?" Angelus asked.

"This is," Wesley responded as he fired off a bullet. It embedded itself in Angelus' side. He screamed and writhed in pain. "I know how much Angel loathes being shot. I assume the same goes for you. We both know they won't kill you so I can do this for hours, bullet by bullet. Your call," Wesley told him calmly.


	4. PART FOUR: Brutal Understanding

**PART FOUR: Brutal Understanding**

**The Hotel**

Wesley descended the double staircase and approached the lobby. He was reloading his 9mm pistol as he did so, having used his entire round during his 'talk' with Angelus.

In the lobby area, Willow and Lorne were discussing the sanctuary spell while Connor complained about his distaste for magic. Buffy was slumped on the couch as Fred continued to treat her wounds. They all turned in Wesley's direction as he approached them.

"Did you find out anything?" Fred asked.

"Quite a bit actually. He was very accommodating…after a few bullets."

"You tortured him?" Buffy asked, taken aback.

"I did what was necessary," Wesley replied as he placed the gun on the reception counter. He paused for a moment to try to regain his composure after the brutal session he had just had with Angelus. It sickened him that he had had to do that, but clearly, pain was all Angelus responded to. A simple conversation would have left Wesley with no further information on how to stop the Beast. Perhaps he could have worn Angelus down eventually, but _eventually _was exactly what they didn't have. Time was running out. Permanent midnight throughout Los Angeles had turned the city into a demon playground. Thousands of innocents were dying by the minute. Wesley had been left with no choice.

"Well, how about we don't go into great detail about that, um, I–"Lorne began, but was cut off by Buffy.

"How about we _do,_" Buffy said curtly, grimacing as she struggled to her feet.

"He'll be fine," Wesley assured her, unwilling to delve into a discussion of ethics at this point in time.

"What does that mean, Wes? He's barely alive?" Buffy asked, aggressively, as she approached him.

Willow stepped in between them. Both her hands were at her side crackling with magic and emanating a blue glow. She was ready to break the two of them apart if needs be, "Let's just all calm down, okay? It's been an intense couple of days. Emotions are high. Tempers are frayed," Willow said, looking between Buffy and Wesley.

Willow knew that Buffy would never even admit it to herself, but seeing Angelus again had taken a great emotional toll on her, not to mention the obvious physical toll it had. She knew she had to defuse the situation immediately, because the moment Buffy lost her temper it was game over due to the power that she yielded. It was one of the downsides to being the Slayer. Buffy didn't have the luxury of indulging her emotions and losing her temper no matter how much she was pushed to at times. The current situation was no exception.

"Like I told you, Buffy, I did what was necessary; what I knew you couldn't."

"And when will doing what's _necessary_ reach the point where you can never come back from it, Wes? There's a line, you know."

"We're talking about Angelus, Buffy!" Wesley shouted, aggressively.

Fred and Lorne exchanged a look, clearly stunned by Wesley's outburst.

"Feelings don't enter into the equation. Angelus is a murderer. He likes pain. He shows no mercy. And, neither should we. I have the information we need. There is no discussion left to have."

"Angel is still in there, Wes," Buffy told him.

"I'm sure he'll understand," Connor spoke, suddenly arriving back in the Hotel lobby with Gunn trailing close behind.

"Great, just what we need, more gas to the flames," Lorne whispered to Fred.

"What's happening up here?" Gunn asked.

"Nothing," Fred said, in an effort to end the discussion.

"Sounds like Wes tortured Angelus. Good. It's about time someone did," Connor informed Gunn.

Gunn looked at Wesley incredulously, "Wow, man. You just get darker by the day, don't you?"

"Charles-" Wesley began.

"Guys, that's enough! Look, we've got a great big apocalypse at our feet right now. Not to mention, we got the Beast who I'm sure you're all thinking is pretty much gonna come after us any moment now if we don't knock him out first. So let's save the fights for afterwards, okay?" Fred yelled, flailing her arms in the air.

No one said a word. They were all stunned by Fred's outburst.

Buffy shook Gunn's arm off of her. He had been holding her back from Wesley. She stepped back and let out a deep sigh, "Fine, I'm gonna go take a shower."

She limped away slowly. Wesley didn't say another word. He just watched her go, deep in thought.


	5. PART FIVE: Walking a Fine Line

**PART FIVE: Walking A Fine Line**

Buffy stood outside Angel's room contemplating whether or not to enter or to simply continue walking down the hall back to the hotel lobby. She wore only a white cotton robe and her body was covered with bruises and numerous cuts and scrapes. She limped closer to the door and paused again.

And then she turned the doorknob and entered.

Once inside, she closed the door quietly behind her and approached Angelus. He lay chained to Angel's bed his chest exposed, aside from the bandages wrapped around him. Buffy concluded that one of the gang had tended to his wounds while he slept. Perhaps Willow, using magic, as she had done once before to Buffy after Warren had shot her.

Buffy stood over Angelus and just stared at him. Her mind raced back to the events earlier that night, specifically, to what had happened between she and Angelus. Why had she let him touch her like that, kiss her, allowed him any sort of access, as she had? She knew what he was. And, she had known it was wrong, yet, she had let it happen. It sickened her that she had overstepped the boundaries of her personal moral code and allowed his manipulations to affect her. She was a warrior, a soldier of the innocent, on the side of good. She didn't have the luxury of entertaining her emotions, of revealing sentiment to the enemy, of giving in to moral corruption.

Had Angelus been correct in his assumption? Did she crave the darkness? She admitted to herself that she had a year ago after her friends had brought her back from the grave. But, that was when she had lost her way, her self-reliance. That girl didn't exist anymore. She wouldn't accept Angelus' accusations. She believed this was more about unresolved issues of longing and love between her and Angel. After all, Angelus did wear his face. And, even though Buffy knew in her mind that this was Angelus who lay before her, in her heart, she could still feel Angel, not the demon. And that complicated things far more than she was ever prepared for. Willow had been right; when it came to Angel, she could never see straight.

Yet, also, when it came to Angelus, she was the only one who could stop him and the only living person who had ever succeeded in doing so.

"Buffy?" Angelus spoke.

His voice shook her out of her thoughts. She stepped back instinctively as he bolted forward, trying to lunge at her and break free of his restraints. Her persisted a couple of times and then relaxed back onto the bed and glared at her.

"How are those injuries coming, Buff? Any internal bleeding?" he asked as he looked her up and down.

"I'm fine."

"You know these won't hold me for long," he told her, as he wrestled with his chains again.

"We'll see."

"We will."

Buffy stepped away and turned to leave.

"Leaving so soon? What brings you to my bedside, lover? Thinking about picking up where we left off in the sewers?"

"I'm thinking, you're gonna help me kill the Beast."

"And, what makes you think I'm gonna do that?" he asked her, clearly intrigued. He smiled with amusement, "Not feeling up to it, Buff? I guess I did give you quite a beating."

"You told Wesley how to kill it. But, you're the only one who can help me get what we need to kill it. Wesley tells me that it's going to take the two of us."

"Saving white hats like the lot of you isn't exactly my raison d'être, Buff. You must have me confused with your ex."

"You'll do it," Buffy told him confidently. Angelus began to argue with her, but she cut him off, "Shut your mouth for once and listen to me"

She leaned into him and whispered. As she spoke, a bone-chilling maniacal grin crept across his face.

**Angel's Office**

**Ten Minutes Later**

"You're telling me that Angelus has agreed to help us stop the Beast?" Wesley asked Buffy, incredulously.

He, Willow and Buffy sat in Angel's office talking privately about their next move. Gunn and Connor were keeping watch over Cordelia, a.k.a. the Beast's master. Meanwhile, Lorne and Fred had hit the streets to search for any scrap of information that they could find about the Beast master.

"That's what I'm saying, Wesley."

"Buffy, Angelus loathes everything that Angel stood for. Why on earth would he suddenly agree to take on Angel's very mission? A demon like him doesn't just alter their modus operandi like that. What did you say to him?" Wesley asked her, worriedly.

Willow looked at Buffy, fearfully.

"Not to sound too Godfather-like, but I just made him an offer that he couldn't refuse. Now, let's move on and get this done."

"And, this offer was?"

"It's better you don't know."

"I need to know, Buffy. People's lives are at stake. I cannot allow secrets; they divide."

"And, sometimes they are what prevent division. Some truths are best not revealed." Wesley moved to dispute that, but Buffy stopped him, "Listen, the mission is all that matters. Ever. Now, let's get on with this. Tell me more about this amulet thing that Angelus told you about."

Wesley sighed deeply and then moved forward in his chair to glance at the numerous books that lay open on the table in front of him. "Very well. The amulet holds the essences of each member of the Ra-Tet; the totems that the Beast killed in order to blot out the sun. Angelus mentioned it to me. Apparently, years ago, he had investigated a way to kill the Beast. He talked to - well tortured - the priestesses whom had the power to stop the Beast and they revealed the amulet to him."

"Why would Angelus try to kill the Beast? Weren't they on the same team back then?" Willow asked.

"Well, technically, yes. They were obviously both evil. However, Angelus didn't appreciate the competition or the alliance that the Beast tried to force upon him."

"I see," Willow replied.

"Anyway, I researched the amulet further and it appears that it was foreseen by the sister priestesses that the Beast would succeed in killing all members of the Ra-Tet and succeed in blotting out the sun. Thus, a deal was struck between they and the priestesses; a final back-up, if you will."

"So, this amulet is the key to stopping the Beast?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, the connection between the Beast and blotting out the sun was foreseen and the two inter-linked. So, we use the amulet's power to kill the Beast and the sun returns and vice-versa. But, it must be borne by both a warrior of good and of evil. Something about _completion_ and _balance_, meaning that one cannot exist without the other in this world so they must stand together to return the world to a balanced state."

"It's a tricky translation, but we have the jist," Willow added.

"Okay, so where is it?" Buffy asked.

Willow and Wesley exchanged an anxious look.

"Guys…. we really don't have the time..." Buffy hurried them.

Wesley stood up, and stepped towards Buffy, "To obtain the amulet you must travel to the dimension of an ancient Aztec god called Tonatiuh (1). According to Aztec mythology he is the sun god of the cosmic era that we are currently in. You need to go to his temple and a blood sacrifice must be made by a warrior of good and evil. Then, the amulet will be released from its confines."

"Blood sacrifice? How much blood?" Buffy asked.

"Enough to fill the lock that confines the amulet."

"Okay, so you're not sure then."

"No, I'm not."

Buffy looked quickly at Willow then back to Wesley.

"Okay, so let's prepare the gateway. We don't have a lot of time," she said, before leaving the room.

Willow hurriedly followed Buffy out. She reached for Buffy's arm and she spun around to face her.

"What Will?" Buffy asked, tiredly.

"Where are you going?"

"To get dressed and then to get Angelus"

"Buffy, what did you offer Angelus?" Willow asked. Although, she was sure she already knew the answer. She could sense it. It was all over Buffy; the truth of what she had sacrificed to save them all.

"Me."

"You can't Buffy. We'll find another way."

"Will, listen. There is no other way and we're all out of time. It's okay. It's my job after all. Make a sacrifice to save the world, right? I know the drill," Buffy told her.

As Buffy walked away Willow did not follow. What could she possibly say that Buffy hadn't already considered. As she watched Buffy head upstairs, an involuntary tear slid down her cheek, for the Chosen One and the weight of the world that she carried on her shoulders. She saw the pain in Buffy's eyes, but she also saw her unwavering strength. And, it moved her to tears.


	6. PART FIVE: CONTINUED

**PART FIVE CONTINUED: Walking a Fine Line**

**Hotel Lobby**

Angelus, Buffy, Wesley, Gunn, Connor and Willow stood in the Hotel Lobby. Gunn and Connor flanked Angelus, their weapons trained on him.

"Wes, I'm not sure about this plan. I mean, Angelus ain't the most trustworthy guy around," Gunn said, but was really speaking to the whole group, including Angelus himself who stood a couple of feet away from him.

"Charles, we don't have a lot of choice" Wesley replied, as he continued to assist Willow in preparing the spell to open the gateway.

"Angelus has assured me he'll keep his fangs to himself," Buffy told them as she glared at Angelus.

Angelus held up his hands in mock surrender, "Look, if you guys don't want me to go, that's fine."

He moved to walk away. Gunn and Connor shifted their weapons and Buffy seized Angelus by the arm forcing him to stand in place beside her, "You're going."

"Okay, we're ready," Willow announced. She moved to sit cross-legged in the center of the room. Wesley had just finished pouring salt around her in a circle.

"Buffy and Angelus - stand in the circle in front of me and join hands," Willow instructed.

Buffy and Angelus moved to stand in the circle. Buffy looked disgustedly at Angelus as he reached for her hands. Angelus cleared his throat, indicating to her that he was waiting for her to take his hands so they could start the spell.

"Fine," Buffy said, as she took Angelus' hands in hers.

Angelus squeezed her hands, sadistically hard. Buffy looked up at him, angrily.

"Sorry, it's a reflex," he told her, snidely.

Buffy kneed him brutally in the stomach. He bent over, clutching his stomach in pain.

"So was that," she told him.

Connor exchanged a look with Gunn and they both smiled at the way Buffy kept Angelus under control.

"She'll be fine," Connor whispered to him.

"Seems like she has the situation under control," Gunn agreed with a grin.

"Okay, here it goes," Willow announced.

With that, Willow began to chant in Latin. Within moments, her pupils began to dilate and a bright blue glow emanated from her hands. Her arms shook as she fought to control the magicks that suddenly flowed through her. She directed the bright blue energy just beyond Buffy and Angelus. Within seconds there was a thundering within the hotel lobby and a glowing doorway exploded into existence mere inches away from Buffy and Angelus.

Buffy turned back to Willow, "Will?"

"It's ready," Willow assured her.

Wesley stepped towards Buffy and handed her a stake and a sword.

"There's no way in hell I'm going into that thing unarmed," Angelus complained.

Buffy thought about the notion of giving Angelus a weapon and the possibly ill-fated consequences of it. But her concerns were outweighed by her needing him to help her fight whatever the hell lay beyond the glowing doorway. She signalled to Wesley to hand Angelus a weapon. Wesley reluctantly handed him a Byzantine fighting axe.

"Good luck," Wesley told Buffy.

Buffy nodded in response.

"Watch your back" Connor called to Buffy as she and Angelus approached the gateway. He glared fiercely at Angelus.

"I will," Buffy assured him, knowing that he was referring to Angelus and the potential of his betrayal.

Buffy and Angelus stepped into the gateway and it swallowed them. In a blink of an eye it swiftly shrank and then disappeared. And, then there was nothing. It was as if it had never existed.

"I hope Buffy can handle this," Wesley spoke to Willow.

Willow stared in the direction where the gate had been, "She can," Willow said, as she continued to stare off, deep in thought. She said a prayer for her best friend, the Vampire Slayer.

"Where's that Slayer of yours?" Lorne's voice came from the Hotel entrance. He and Fred were hurrying down the steps towards them.

Wesley turned suddenly, "We sent her and Angelus through a portal to find an amulet that will stop the Beast. Why what did you find out?"

Fred looked at Wesley awash in deep concern and empathy for Buffy, "A portal?"

Gunn and Wesley looked at her, knowingly. Fred had had her fair share of portals to last her a lifetime.

"Angelus is loose?" Lorne asked in disbelief.

"We needed his help," Wesley explained.

"And, he just happened to volunteer?" Lorne asked.

"It's a long story," Willow piped up.

"What did you find out?" Wesley asked, attempting to change the subject.

"There is a good chance that we may not be able to stop the Beast master, currently masquerading as our Cordelia," Lorne informed them.

"What does that mean?" Connor asked, with characteristic impatience.

Lorne looked at each of them in turn. They were waiting for him to explain his revelation, with the vague hope that they could find a way around what he had just told them. The problem was; he wasn't sure that they actually could.

**Home Dimension of Tonatiuh, the Sun God**

A flash of light roared like an angry thunderclap into existence and discharged Buffy and Angelus, hurling them forth onto the gravelled surface of the alien dimension they had gained entrance to.

They each rolled with the fall to break its impact. Buffy slowly rose to her feet and dusted herself off.

"Just what I need; more bruises," she muttered.

"I hear that," Angelus agreed.

Buffy glanced around the strange new world that they had just been thrown into. They stood on a long dilapidated wooden bridge, suspended by rope, end to end. Either side of the bridge there was nothing, only mist. Buffy stepped forward and looked down. Hundreds of feet below was a crevice with a tiny stream running through it. She and Angelus stood atop a huge cliff of some kind. There was a great incline behind them. At the other end of the bridge stood a huge temple-like structure. She reasoned that was most likely the way forward for them. The only problem was the bridge didn't look very sturdy.

Angelus moved to stand beside her and Buffy flinched slightly. He glanced at her, smirked, but said nothing of it.

"I don't like the look of that bridge. But, looks like that's our way forward," Buffy said.

"Seems that way. You first, then," Angelus urged her.

Buffy eyed him, "Why, me first?"

"Uh, because you're the Chosen One. I'm just along for the ride, Buff."

"Listen, the way this works is, either we both get out of this, or neither of us does. I realize it's difficult for you to comprehend the idea of teamwork, but make an effort and start comprehending!" Buffy yelled.

"Okay. Let's go then. Oh, and by the way, that angry look of yours is a total turn-on," Angelus said, as he stepped forward onto the bridge. Buffy threw him a look, but decided against a response.

As they both stepped onto the bridge it creaked loudly under their weight. Both of them walked slowly and cautiously along it even as it slowly swayed from side to side.

"I don't like this," Angelus remarked to Buffy.

Buffy didn't respond. She was trying to concentrate. She sped up and Angelus matched her pace. Suddenly, he grabbed her arm, sharply. She spun to face him, her fist ready to meet his face for touching her.

"Over there. Don't you see it?" Angelus asked her as he moved out of the way of her fist without taking his eyes off whatever it was that he was looking at.

Buffy followed his glance. She squinted for a few moments and then she saw what he was seeing. A small army of demons on horseback was assembled at the other end of the bridge: the end that they were trying to reach. Buffy counted approximately twenty of them, give or take a few.

"There's always a damn welcoming committee," Angelus remarked.

"We can take them," Buffy said. She turned to face him. Angelus looked at her and nodded in agreement.

"I suggest we get off this bridge before they get on it," Buffy advised.

With that, they both began sprinting towards the end of the bridge where the demons lay in wait. The supernatural speed that both of them possessed meant that they were within a couple of feet of the end of the bridge within mere moments. And that was when it happened. One of the demons approached the edge of the bridge and began to hack at the ropes either side of it.

Buffy saw what was about to happen and screamed for the demon to stop, telling them that she and Angelus came in peace. But it was too late. The bridge gave way. In the instant that the last thread of rope snapped Angelus grabbed hold of Buffy and threw the both of them forward and off the bridge. They began to fall, fast.

Angelus ripped something from his jacket pocket and fired it at the cliff side. It was a grapple hook. He watched as it imbedded itself nicely in the rock of the cliff. They jolted to a stop as they hung at the side of the cliff suspended by the grapple hook's rope the other end of which was attached to his belt.

"I knew I didn't like the look of that bridge," Buffy gasped, trying to catch her breath from the adrenaline that was coursing through her, courtesy of the dreadful fall.

"And, this is exactly why I didn't pursue this amulet thing a couple of centuries ago. Hurtling into strange dimensions never goes well, Buff."

As they hung there, Buffy caught Angelus looking at her neck for a little too long than she felt comfortable with. He held her tightly by the waist and she held his arm with an intense grip. This entire situation was making her increasingly anxious. Relying on Angelus to save her life wasn't something she had a lot of faith in, given that they were sworn enemies.

"You bite me, you die," she warned.

"It'd be too easy right now, lover. And, that just takes the fun out of it."

Buffy realized that that was his idea of a reassurance. It was all a little too creepy for her liking.

"There's a ledge straight ahead. Looks like it continues along the circumference of the cliff. I don't know how long this grapple is going to hold; it's really a one-person only device. On the count of three we swing for it."

One. Two. Three.

They swung towards the ledge a couple of times. On the third try Buffy managed to grab a hold of the ledge, and driving her sword into the rock, she managed to pull them against it. Just as she managed to scramble onto it the grapple wire snapped. Angelus had only just grabbed the ledge with his one hand and as soon as the grapple snapped he started to lose his grip.

He was going to fall.

Buffy shot out her hand and grabbed his, just as he began to fall. As she held onto him with all her Slayer strength they exchanged a look. There was a moment between them. Buffy shook it off and hauled him onto the ledge quickly. He fell on top of her. Her natural instinct was to throw him off of her, but she was exhausted as was he from the fear of the jaw-dropping drop below and of all the strength they had exacted to reach the ledge. So, they just lay there, she beneath him, he atop of her, unable to move, as they caught their breath.

After a few moments, Angelus moved to get off Buffy, but then, stopped and looked down at her. He realized his hands were on her arms pinning her down and the predator in him growled inwardly in anticipation of the kill. Buffy saw the look on his face, but wasn't sure exactly what it meant. Was he going to vamp-out, or was he thinking about doing something else? Either way, it wasn't a good thing. That being the case, she instinctively reached for her sword with her right hand. She yanked it out of solid rock with just the one hand and held it tightly at her side. She didn't relish the prospect of fighting Angelus on the narrow ledge that they were situated on currently, so, instead she waited and just hoped that he would fight his vampiric instincts for the time being and get the hell off of her.

To her great surprise he did just that.

Buffy quickly got up as Angelus continued to stare at her. Then, he suddenly turned away and sighed deeply.

"Are you done thinking about vamping-out, cuz we have to get moving?" Buffy asked him, irritated, while also trying to mask her nervousness at being alone with him in a small, enclosed area, in a foreign land.

"If I wanted to bite you, I would have," Angelus lied.

"I think this King Arthur-esq sword would have had a little something to say about that," Buffy warned him, as she spun the sword around effortlessly.

"You wouldn't have had the time to lift the thing if I'd wanted to take you right there and then," Angelus informed her, arrogantly.

"Just keep your head in the mission" Buffy told him.

She strode past him, examining the cliff area as she tried to determine the best way back to the top of the cliff. They had to get to the temple as soon as possible. This dimension was starting to grate on her nerves.

After a few moments, she signalled for Angelus to follow her and they began moving as fast as possible, while exacting caution, across the narrow ledge that ran along the circumference of the cliff.

"What's the plan? We keep circling the cliff continuously? It's too steep to climb with our bare hands."

"No, we climb that ladder," Buffy announced.

Angelus looked at her, surprised. He followed her glance and sure enough, a few meters away, there was a ladder. It was about twenty feet above where they stood. Buffy led the way towards it. Within moments, they stood beneath it. Buffy turned to Angelus, then back to the ladder. She quickly secured her sword to her belt, then leapt a full twenty feet or so into the air, and grabbed hold of the ladder. She began climbing up slowly. Angelus followed closely behind.


	7. PART SIX: It Falls To They Few

**PART SIX: It Falls To They Few**

**The Hotel**

"Lorne, I don't accept that. There _has_ to be a way. What aren't you telling us?" Wesley asked Lorne, as he slammed his hands on the reception counter.

"What he's not telling you is that Cordelia, I mean, the Beast master, or whatever the heck she or it is, is just the vessel, to bring it to term. Everyone we talked to, all the signs, all my calculations tell us that it will come to term, unless-"

"Unless what?" Connor asked.

"Unless we kill mother dearest before that bun of hers is ready to come out of the oven," Lorne finished.

There was a long pause in the room. Connor, Fred and Lorne stood facing Wesley, while Gunn and Willow sat on the couch. They all awaited a response from their unofficial leader.

"So be it," Wesley said simply.

"You can't kill her, Wesley. Cordelia is in their somewhere!" Connor yelled.

Wesley looked at the reactions of the others. They were mute, but the expression on their faces confirmed that they agreed with Connor's objections. None of them wanted to lose Cordelia.

"Is she? We don't know that there is anything left in there of the Cordelia we knew! Right now, we have this one chance at preventing the apocalypse from coming to pass. We have no choice. This is the only way!"

"Wesley's right," Fred piped up.

Gunn looked at Fred and although he agreed with what Wesley had just said he couldn't hide the fact that it stung him to witness Fred running to his side, to feel the connection between them that spanned many different levels. Although the relationship between Fred and him was dead in the water it irked him that one of the reasons for that stood lecturing them as the leader of their group at that very moment. Yet, other things mattered more at this juncture.

"I won't let you!" Connor exclaimed.

"Look Connor, you have made a lot of bad decisions, which so far have cost us big time. I swear to God, you do one more dumb thing like you're about to and I will single-handedly strike you down. I'm so damn sick of your issues. Are you feeling me on this?" Gunn threatened, jumping to his feet.

"Cool it boys," Willow said, also getting up.

"People, listen to me. We're in the middle of the battle of our lives. We can't afford any mistakes. And we certainly cannot afford to entertain emotions. We don't have that luxury, because we are all that stands between the innocents of this world and its destruction. I, for one, swore to protect this world and sometimes to do that you need to make sacrifices. You need to make the tough decisions. And that is exactly what this is."

"Our leader has spoken, kids," Lorne said.

"Wesley, we're talking about Cordelia," Connor said softly as he sank dejectedly onto the couch.

"Connor, the likelihood of her even surviving a demonic birth of this sort is extremely low. That's even if she is still in there somewhere," Wesley explained.

"We'll do some more research before we do anything, but that's the plan as it stands," Fred told Connor.

"Connor, Wesley, you wanna give me a hand with this restoration spell?" Willow half asked, half ordered them. "Whatever deal Buffy made with Angelus, I'm not gonna let her go through with it. As soon as he steps through that portal, I'm putting that soul back," Willow told them.

"Agreed. Meanwhile, Lorne and Gunn, see if you can increase the power of the sanctuary spell, in case the Beast should decide to come and rescue his boss," Wesley asked Lorne.

"How long until Buffy returns?" Connor asked Willow and Wesley.

"I don't know. As long as it takes, I guess," Willow replied.

"She'll be back," Lorne said, seemingly knowing on some level that that was true.

**Home Dimension of Tonatiuh, the Sun God**

Buffy and Angelus stood with their backs pressed tightly against the wall of the ancient colossal stone structure that was the Temple of Tonatiuh. Just off to their left there were a series of ornately carved marble pillars that supported the level above. Buffy gestured for Angelus to follow her, realizing that the pillars would provide them with a lot more cover should any of the demons start patrolling the perimeter of the temple.

As they moved in that direction, Angelus spotted two birdlike demons, possibly the ones they had seen earlier, rounding the corner towards them. Swiftly, he scanned the area. He located a small gap between where they were and the area they were trying to reach. It was dark outside and he reasoned if they flattened themselves enough against it then their presence would go unnoticed by the patrolling demon sentries. He grabbed Buffy and pulled her with him into the gap. Neither of them moved as they heard the demons pass by. They were conversing in a language that Angelus didn't recognize. Within moments, their voices faded in volume and their footsteps could no longer be heard. They were gone. Buffy and Angelus had remained undetected thus far.

As soon as the immediate danger had disappeared Buffy became acutely aware of the close proximity between her and Angelus. She quickly pushed him away from her.

"Too close for comfort, Buff?" Angelus asked her, as he stumbled back from the force of her push.

Buffy merely glared at him, then scanned the area for any sign of more demons, as well as a way into the temple itself.

"Do you see any way in?" she asked.

Angelus glanced around and then silently walked forward towards the pillars. Buffy followed him. He ran his hands carefully over the wall of the temple for a few moments. Then, he stopped abruptly, and knocked on it lightly. It was hollow.

"Looks like this used to be a window. It's been boarded up for some reason," he told Buffy over his shoulder. He continued to tap at the wall trying to determine how large the hollow section of the building was. Then, without warning, he reared back and slammed his fist through the wall. As he pulled his hand out he brought with it ample plaster and shattered wood.

Buffy stood behind him and peered into the gap that he had created. Inside she could see a bright light and a deserted room; the main room of the temple she reasoned.

"Let's go," Angelus told her, as he climbed through the window into the temple. Buffy followed closely behind, looking back once to check for pursuers.

**Inside the Temple**

Once inside, Buffy and Angelus glanced around the room. It was magnificent. The walls were cased in what looked like pure gold. Stained glass windows depicting epic battles and Aztec mythology were spaced at equal distance around the room. No light passed through them as they were boarded up from the other side; probably to keep the temple camouflaged as much as possible from outsiders. It seemed as though the temple was reluctant to attract attention to itself; indicating that it had been quite necessary to remain incognito.

The bright light Buffy had seen, she had thought had come from the large windows of the temple, however it was now clear that it in fact came from the area in the center; a statue of the god, Tontiuh.

"The amulet, it's locked inside there, the statue," Buffy told Angelus.

"How do you know that?" Angelus asked, unconvinced.

"I just know. I'm not sure how, but I just do. My Slayer-sense is tingling."

"Okay, so let's get the damned thing and get out of here. Places of worship make me nervous. Well, except convents, of course," he told her with a sinister smirk.

"How about you _never_ tell me about that," Buffy replied, as she began examining the statue.

Moments later she saw what she had been looking for. Two small golden bowls moved slightly up and down. Scales. Below them was a tiny trap door no larger than her palm, which she predicted was where the amulet would be released from after the blood sacrifice had been made. She turned to Angelus quickly, a knife in hand.

Angelus looked at her in question.

"To get the amulet, Wesley told me we each need to spill enough blood to balance the scales here," Buffy told him, pointing to the scales.

"How come you didn't mention this sooner?"

"Well, strangely, it didn't seem like a great idea to mention the spilling of blood in the company of a vicious, sadistic murderer who also just so happens to be a vampire."

"I appreciate the compliments, Buff."

"You're sick," was all Buffy said.

"Yet, you still want me."

Buffy turned away from the statue and spun to face him, "Shut up! You're disgusting."

"If words could stake," Angelus mocked her, as he brought his hands up to his heart for emphasis.

"What I said about blood and vampires? It's true of stakes and slayers too," Buffy, warned him as she continued to examine the statue to ensure that she had been correct about the scales.

"Are you threatening me, Buff?" Angelus demanded.

Before she had the chance to react he grabbed her, seizing her by her shoulders with a fiery fury.


	8. PART SIX CONTD

**PART SIX – CONTINUED**

Angelus and Buffy stood opposite one another, breathless, bruised and bloody from the impromptu highly violent confrontation they had just had.

"Okay, clearly, we don't have the time to resolve this right now," Buffy told Angelus, as she tried to catch her breath, both from the toll of the fight and the stubborn flow of adrenaline that was still coursing through her.

"Agreed. Let's just get the amulet and get the hell out of here."

They both approached the statue, prepared to proceed with the bloodletting, so as to release the amulet.

"You first," Buffy said, handing the knife to Angelus.

Angelus looked at her about to protest when the doors to the chamber suddenly flew open. They spun around. They were taken aback by what they saw.

There weren't demons assembled at the door, prepared to attack them. They were what looked like monks. Human monks, it appeared.

"The amulet does not leave the Temple," the monk at the forefront spoke.

"We have no choice. We need it to stop the Beast," Buffy tried to explain.

"That is not a concern of ours nor our world," the lead monk countered.

"Well, we're not leaving here without the amulet," Angelus replied confrontationally.

Buffy frowned at his aggressive response. She didn't relish the prospect of having to fight anyone unnecessarily, especially not holy men.

"They're going to fight us anyway, Buff. We all know there is no way around it," Angelus whispered to her.

"Yes, unfortunately it must come to pass," the lead monk responded.

Angelus and Buffy were shocked that the monk had heard Angelus' whispered words.

He registered their puzzled expressions and explained, "We're not quite human, either, impure and unholy one…"

Angelus snarled at him, but the monk continued.

"We are blessed and endowed by the power of the sun god, Tontiuh."

"That's all very interesting, but we really don't have time. Let's get on with it," Buffy replied, sarcastically.

"Your companion is clearly a soulless demon of great evil, but you, it is unclear what, or who you are. Only beings touched by supernatural forces can access our world."

"I am the Slayer," Buffy responded, sanctimoniously

"Yes, the Slayer," the monk said, knowingly.

Within a fraction of a second, the monks stood, surrounding Buffy and Angelus. It appeared as though they had halted time for an instant around their opponents, because Buffy and Angelus had not had the opportunity to even blink yet they somehow found themselves completely surrounded by ten or eleven men, each wielding a weapon of some sort.

"Why is it that I can never anywhere without being challenged to some sort of fight to the death?" Angelus complained.

"I know the feeling," Buffy agreed, readying her sword, as her an Angelus stood back-to-back, prepared for the pending battle that lay before them.


	9. PART SEVEN: The Sacrifices of the Great

**Part SEVEN: The Sacrifices of the Great**

**The Hotel**

**Basement**

"What, so you think this spell of yours will stop what is written to come to pass?" the Beast Master asked Willow.

"That's not its intention" Willow replied curtly.

"Things sure have changed. I hear now you're an all-powerful Wicca? No longer the shy little, innocent Willow you were back in high school, huh?"

"You're not Cordelia. I know what you are. I sensed it the moment I entered this hotel. Don't take me for a fool," Willow warned, commandingly, as she often did whenever she was in a situation where she was forced to take command in Buffy's absence.

"You won't control the power you need to stop me," The Beast Master continued, trying to unhinge Willow's confidence in her own magic ability.

"You're wrong" Willow replied sternly, as she continued preparing the spell to incapacitate the Beast Master's influence over their world.

"I am wrong? Don't kid yourself Willow. You nearly destroyed the world by tapping into dark magicks. Do you really think it won't happen again? Don't be a fool. What is going to stop you from slipping over the edge? You know as well as I do that there is no one who is strong enough to stop you from slipping into the darkness."

"We'll see about that," a male voice spoke from the top of the basement stairs.

Rupert Giles.

The Beast Master looked at him, shocked and confused.

"Giles," she seethed.

Willow turned, suddenly in Giles' direction.

Giles ignored the Beast Master completely, and called to Willow, "Is the preparation nearly complete? Were my instructions detailed enough? Some things were a little tricky to explain over the telephone."

"Uh…yes. Instructions good. Spell prep good. Giles…what are you doing here?" Willow asked, greatly surprised at his presence.

"To do this spell you need an anchor, Willow. It's too soon for you to attempt a spell with such powerful dark magicks alone," Giles explained.

"But, Sunnydale…. is everything…" Willow began.

"Everything is fine. I need to talk with Wesley first," Giles told Willow.

Willow nodded in understanding and followed Giles up the stairs out of the basement.

The Beast Master watched them go, a malicious angry glare emanating from her eyes, as she tried to formulate a plan to stop all of them from ruining her long thought out, intricately detailed and executed preparation of bringing forth the apocalypse. Everything that had happened over the last few years had led to this point in time. These mere mortals would not disrupt the great effort that she and her acolytes had gone to twist fate in the correct direction, to manipulate and, thus, interconnect each occurrence, each event, and each point perfectly in order to form the reality that existed today, in this world. Nothing would stop what must come to pass.

**Angel's Office**

**Ten Minutes Later**

Wesley and Giles sat opposite one another in Angel's office. Giles, leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed over another, as he cleaned his glasses, trying to subdue his anxiety at what Wesley had just told him.

"Wesley, you are informing me that Buffy is presently in an unexplored dimension, which has extremely little known of it, nor written about it. And, more significantly, she is not alone, but instead, is accompanied by Angelus?" Giles asked Wesley, as he replaced his glasses over his eyes.

"Yes. That's basically it" Wesley replied.

"Wesley! What were you thinking?" Giles asked, shooting forward in his chair and slamming his hands on the desk in front of him.

Wesley remained calm, as he met Giles' angry gaze, "I was thinking, Giles, that Buffy and Angelus are our only hope of ending this eternal darkness in Los Angeles, which has claimed thousands of lives and continues to do so. And, it will only spread; next stop, being Sunnydale, which I deemed wouldn't be great timing given your battle with The First Evil at current. Moreover, I understand that the First is in remission right now; so acquiring assistance from your side was not unreasonable. The apocalypse is coming Giles and that doesn't just affect L.A. I had very few options. With a lot of forces arrayed against us, I did what I had to do to end this."

"Fine. Point taken, Wesley," Giles said, slowly easing himself back into his seat. He flashed a smile, "You've changed. For one, you've become quite the leader and a lot less the naïve, pompous Watcher that you were back in Sunnydale."

"A lot has happened, Giles. I've been to places…. done things that are…uh…questionable…."

"Sometimes you have to go against those you care about in order to do the right thing. We have both taken an oath to protect this world from the forces of evil and as is the case for the Slayer as well, we often bear the burden alone."

Wesley smiled at Giles' words of comfort, as well as the deep level of understanding that existed between them. That understanding was something that only fellow Watchers like themselves and the Slayer could truly comprehend.

Wesley shifted uncomfortably in his seat, before leaning forward slightly, preparing to speak solemnly to Giles about the other reason that he had called him to L.A., "Giles, aside from needing someone more magically-experienced than myself to act as Willow's anchor for the pending spell, there is another reason why I called you here. It's Buffy. Well, to be more accurate, Buffy's relationship with Angelus."

"What do you mean?" Giles asked, worriedly.

"It is a great concern," Wesley replied cryptically.

**Home Dimension of Tonatiuh, the Sun God**

**Inside the Temple**

"You know if you hadn't started something we would have retrieved the amulet and been safely back in our own dimension by now!" Buffy yelled to Angelus as she kicked away two of the monks approaching her, then threw one of the two others holding her back, over her shoulder.

Angelus had just beheaded one of the monks approaching him and had then watched, awestruck as, seconds later, he stood up, head intact, as though the axe had never made contact.

"_Really?_ Well, it's a bit too late for your level-headed thinking to start kicking in now, Buff", Angelus retorted, as he continued to violently fight off the monks attacking him.

"_My_ level-headed thinking? I'm the only one out of the two of us who has been doing that since I kicked your butt back in L.A." Buffy continued, as she shot out her fist to knock back a rapid incoming attack.

Angelus turned in Buffy's direction briefly and witnessed one of the monks preparing to throw a knife at her from behind. Swiftly, he yanked a knife from one of his attackers and threw it skilfully past Buffy and directly into the monk's heart. He toppled backwards, involuntarily dropping his weapon as he did so.

Buffy looked over her shoulder and realized that Angelus had just saved her life. They exchanged a glance and Buffy could have sworn that she saw Angelus actually smile genuinely at her. She shook it off. Now was not the time to analyze that.

"They're not dying. They just keep coming," Buffy yelled over to him.

"I'm getting that, Buff. What do you suggest we do about it?" Angelus replied.

Buffy scanned their surroundings. Angelus was fighting beside the statue _exactly_ where they needed to be in order to spill their blood to acquire the amulet.

"Make room for me," she yelled.

She leaped above the monks surrounding her onto the top of the sun god statue and back down onto the ground right behind Angelus. They stood back to back continuing to fight as they whispered to one another as to what they would do about this no-win battle situation that they were in.

"We can't win this. I suggest we get what we came for and run like hell out of here," Buffy whispered.

"A retreat? Definitely."

"Cover me as I do my half of the bloodletting sacrificial thing. Then, it's your turn," Buffy told him.

Angelus didn't reply. He simply shifted his position so that Buffy was protected from the onslaught while she set about making the sacrifice.

As she let the wound she had inflicted on herself fill up the small bowl in the statue she watched as the bowl filling with blood suddenly shifted and locked itself into place. Just below it, the tiny trap door bearing the amulet slid open halfway, but not enough for her to retrieve it. It was time for Angelus' contribution. She scanned the scene behind her and saw that Angelus was holding his own well enough without her assistance.

She reached for his arm and felt him flinch at her touch.

"Don't move it," she told him, as she carefully drew the knife over his skin. She held his arm directly over the second bowl and waited as it started to fill with blood. Buffy knew that Angelus was still able to fight while she did this, as she was very familiar with his fighting style and how he operated in battle. But, still, they had to hurry. Who knew what those monks had hidden up their sleeves?

Anxiously, she watched as the bowl continued to fill with Angelus' blood. It seemed to be taking so very long. _Come on, come on! _As soon as this thought had left her mind, the bowl suddenly shifted and, it too, locked into place. Within seconds, the second half of the trap door opened and the amulet was completely visible.

Buffy's eyes lit up at her success. Relief washed over her. She snatched up the amulet and placed it securely in the inside pocket of her leather jacket.

She let go of Angelus arm, and then stood up, "We're good to go."

"Finally, this is getting pointless," Angelus replied, humorously, as he suddenly ripped Buffy's sword out of her hand and thrust it into a monk who had been running at him with full speed.

"Although, fun," Angelus said, smirking at Buffy.

"Clearly, we have totally different definitions of the word 'fun'," Buffy contended, as she moved to stand beside Angelus, assuming a fighting stance.

"C'mon, don't tell me this doesn't get you off," Angelus said, looking over at her.

Buffy reached for her sword and felt their hands brush one another's as he passed it to her. She felt an unwanted shiver of lust and anticipation take hold of her. Thankfully, this was replaced by her Slayer instincts screaming at her as a couple of the monks tried to ambush her from behind. She spun and kicked them brutally, forcing them a few meters backwards. She turned back to Angelus and gestured to the window that they had entered through.

Between them, they succeeded in creating a path through the attacking army. They wasted no time in speeding towards it. Buffy dove through the window with Angelus close behind.

They both rolled as they hit the ground, using the momentum to return themselves to a standing position. Frantically, they both looked from side to side to ascertain their best escape route.

"The forest. Over there!" Buffy said, pointing to the mass of trees in the distance to the left of them.

They sped in that direction, praying that the monks wouldn't recover in time to see where they were headed.

As they ran, Angelus asked Buffy, "Uh…any idea how we are going to get back to our world? Strangely, we never took the time to discuss that part."

"Willow gave me a spell that we have to use, drawing on the amulet's power or something," Buffy replied.

They continued running at such a supernatural speed that they were both gasping. Then, Buffy turned to Angelus, "You speak Latin, right?" she rasped.

Angelus looked at her with a bemused smile.

**Angel's Office, Same Time**

Wesley and Giles sat in silence in Angel's office. Giles mulled over the information that Wesley had just given him, and Wesley thought deeply about the possible consequences of said information in regards to both Buffy and Angelus.

"So, you can see why I was a little hesitant to send them into a foreign dimension together alone."

"Yes, quite," Giles replied.

"But there was no choice, Giles-" Wesley began, but Giles cut him off.

"Wesley, there is no need to explain. I would have done the same. You did the right thing. It was the only thing you could do."

Wesley was a little taken aback by Giles' approval. It was the first time they had ever seen eye-to-eye on a situation. It was clear by his words, as well as his general demeanour, that Giles now held the utmost respect for him, which Wesley much appreciated and had to admit, had craved from someone in an equal position to him.

"The idea of something happening between Buffy and Angelus is certainly distasteful, yet at the same time it can be understood from many angles. Their history is deeply complicated after all, as both of us are well aware. Couple that with the change in her since she was resurrected and it all points towards an affirmation of your assumption that something did actually occur between them."

"Nevertheless, Giles, as we discussed, the Slayer knows the importance of the mission transcends above all else. I would say this is particularly true of Buffy, given all that she has sacrificed in the past for the mission; including Angel, himself."

"Yet, you still fear that the deal she struck with Angelus may be partly entangled with her emotion towards him?"

"Exactly and I don't know what that deal was. It could complicate things here even further."

"I understand. But, I want to assure you that I know Buffy. When it comes down to it, she will do what is necessary. She will ensure that Angelus remains subdued until we put his soul back. She would never let him run free no matter how far he succeeds in his manipulations. But, I don't deny that the mere thought of this is greatly disturbing, given everything that we know about Angelus' level of evil."

"Quite so" Wesley agreed, he having been an expert on Angelus and his history, was more so disturbed than anyone else could possibly be, including Giles.

"Guys, something's coming…a great evil! It's on its way. It's too powerful for me to hold back," Willow cried, as she burst into the room.

"The Beast," Wesley said, solemnly.

"It must have found out about the spell we were going to do," Giles said.

"You mean, the Beast Master communicated with it. The Beast is coming to retrieve his master. We cannot let that happen," Wesley said.

"It's too powerful to stop. Even Buffy and Angelus together were no match for it. Buffy told me that not even a grenade blast could cause it injury," Willow argued.

"I have an idea. Follow me," Wesley said as he rushed out of Angel's office.

**Home Dimension of Tonatiuh, the Sun God**

Buffy and Angelus had reached the forest, which stood directly opposite the great cavern that they had almost fatally toppled into when they had been forced to leap off the bridge earlier. They had kept running until they were both satisfied that they were deep enough within the forest to be difficult to find. Buffy had stopped first, leaning against a tall tree, which in their dimension would have been likened to an oak, but in this dimension, was probably a completely different species.

Buffy gasped, trying to catch her breath from both the battle with Angelus, the monks and then the never-ending sprinting retreat. Buffy reasoned that it was fine for Angelus, as he didn't have to breathe anyway.

"Don't tell me you don't live for these moments, Buff."

"Not exactly" Buffy replied, as she ran her fingers through her hair, and wiped sweat from her brow.

"C'mon, a battle like that, I know it gets you going, leaves you just dying to-" Angelus started.

Buffy cut him off, "Don't even finish that sentence, Angelus. We're not going there," she warned, holding up her hand to silence him.

"Still fighting it, lover?" Angelus said as he slowly approached her.

"The sewer incident was a one-off thing. It was an accident, that's all."

Angelus stood opposite her. He gripped her arms and pinned her against the tree that she leaned against, "I'm not one to hold back on getting something I want. I usually just take it. It's just what I do," he whispered seductively as he slowly trailed his tongue over her neck. His hands squeezed her arms harder, but for once, not out of brutality, but solely from passion. "But, with you, this one time only, I'll make an exception. Like I said before, Buff, if you want your taste, I'm right here."

Unexpectedly, he suddenly pulled back. He simply stared at her, "I know you've been wondering what it would be like between us ever since you brought me forth all those years ago. But, you could never admit it to your friends or yourself. But, I know it, Buff. After all, loving Angel, how could you not wonder? It's only natural."

"Nothing about you or Angel is natural. It's most definitely unnatural…and disturbing," Buffy countered.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't change the fact that you want this."

Then, looking deeply at her, he confessed, "Just like I want you."

The sexual tension between them had reached its boiling point and Buffy grabbed Angelus by the neck, with both her hands, enveloping him with her lips, kissing him feverishly.

Angelus pressed harder against her body and ran his hands up and down her arms, fervently, as their kiss intensified to a degree that he had never experienced before in all his two hundred and fifty plus years. His natural soulless reaction in these situations would normally be to take what he wanted immediately, but with Buffy, it was completely different. He couldn't understand nor explain why. But, with her, he wanted _her_ to take him, not the other way around. It went against his natural instincts and it unnerved him that he wasn't in control of this side of himself; a side that only she could bring out. He knew that she felt the same way.

She ran her hands through his hair, then pulled him closer to her using her slayer strength to do so.

Responding, Angelus forced the both of them down onto the ground, he atop her, surrounding her and confining her in his embrace. He heard her moan in pleasure as his body pressed more tightly against hers, moving against hers in perfect rhythm, propelling both of their arousal levels to a new peak.

Suddenly, they both stopped.

"Do you sense that?" Angelus whispered to her.

"They're nearby," Buffy replied, as they slowly moved off one another, careful not to make a sound.

Buffy pulled out the amulet and a piece of paper on which Willow had written the spell that would open a one-way gateway back to their dimension. Buffy handed the piece of paper to Angelus.

He looked over it quickly, then turned to her, "It's a lot simpler than I imagined. Point the amulet in the direction of the sun then take hold of my hand."

Buffy followed his instructions. He read the words aloud, his voice increasing in volume, as he did so.

Within moments, there was a thunderous explosion and flashing of blue light, identical to that which had occurred when Willow had first opened the gateway back in Los Angeles. Buffy felt Angelus' hands shaking, as well as his voice, as he continued to utter the final words of the spell. Clearly, he could feel the power of the magic that they were summoning. All of a sudden, the gateway exploded into being.

They looked at one another, both aware that the monks were mere seconds away from them. Angelus squeezed her hand and then they both hurtled forward into the gateway.

**The Hotel – Seconds Later**

The Angel Investigations team, along with the additions of Willow and Giles were gathered in the lobby area, discussing the impending visit of the Beast, which Willow had sensed.

Suddenly, a thunderous sound, followed by a bright blue glow exploded in the lobby, then disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. And in its place stood Buffy and Angelus. The group looked towards them, astonished at their sudden, unprecedented entrance.

Buffy and Angelus realized, after too long a time that they were still holding hands. Quickly, they broke apart, each taking an awkward step away from one another.

"Honies, we're home," Buffy commented.

Willow rushed towards Buffy, enveloping her in a tight embrace. Giles was quick to follow. After a moment, they released one another, and Buffy looked at Giles in question, "Giles, what are you doing here? Is something wrong? The Potentials? Dawn?"

"No, no, they are all fine. I just thought you might need some assistance" Giles told her, then glared icily at Angelus.

It was then that Angelus realized that Giles was here because of him. More precisely, he was here to protect Buffy from him.

"What took you so long? You've been gone for hours," Connor asked Buffy.

"Well, we ran into a welcoming committee, and we had to fight…. then hide…._ that's all,_" Buffy struggled, putting a tad too much emphasis on the "that's all" part of her explanation.

Angelus smirked at her explanation.

After a beat, Wesley stepped forward, inadvertently cutting through the tension that enveloped them all.

He addressed Buffy and Angelus, solemnly; "We have bad news…." he began.


	10. PART EIGHT: For the Greater Good

**PART EIGHT: For the Greater Good**

Buffy stood; bracing herself for the bad news Wesley was about to tell her. She registered her grip had involuntarily tightened around the sword that she held at her side.

"What is it?" she pressed, calmly.

"We believe the Beast is on its way here as we speak."

"To rescue its master," Buffy realized.

"Yes, but I have an idea. We know we cannot defeat it in battle. The natural course of action would be to move Cordelia from here before the Beast arrives. I propose we do not. We use her as bait to lure the Beast here and destroy it. My research has indicated that the amulet has the power to not only bring back the sun, but to destroy the Beast also."

"Much of that information is shrouded in myth as those books of yours often are. We are to trust that alone?" Connor protested.

"Precisely," Wesley replied, without argument.

Giles simply nodded at Wesley in agreement, then shifted his gaze to Buffy.

"How do we, you know, 'activate' the amulet?" Buffy asked.

"The blood spilled by the good and the evil must yield it, alone. You and Angelus, that is. There is an incantation, which I have translated. It must be uttered outside, beneath the sky, as we will call on the Gods of the Sun," Wesley informed her.

"I will bring Cordy out there, with us. Connor, some assistance, please," Gunn said, even as he headed towards the basement.

"Hurry," Giles said, as Connor followed Gunn. "Willow, you and I must attend to our task."

"Right, yes," Willow answered, in hesitant secrecy. As Willow passed by Buffy, she averted her gaze, so as not to entertain Buffy's questioning glance. She thought it best that Buffy was not aware that she and Giles were about to begin the spell to re-insoul Angelus.

"More dark magic? Definitely not loving this. But, hey, if it's to save the world, who am I to raise a white flag?" Lorne muttered, as he followed the group outside, to the hotel courtyard.

Angelus trailed just behind Buffy, "Looks like our partnership isn't yet over, huh, Buff?" he whispered to her, slyly.

"All in good time" she replied coldly, without turning back to look at him.

Angelus snarled, as he continued to follow the group out into the courtyard.

**Hotel Courtyard, Moments Later**

Connor and Gunn stood flanking Cordelia who was tied to a bench in the courtyard.

Fred, Wesley, Lorne, Buffy and Angelus stood in the center, readying for the Beast's arrival.

"You cannot stop us," Cordelia/Beast Master hissed at the group.

"We will bring back daylight," Wesley replied, glaring at her.

"And that will be all. The Beast is only one of many minions I can call upon. His defeat will not prevent your disgusting world's destruction."

"Well, it's a damned good step in the right direction," Fred said, over her shoulder, as she tried to concentrate on preparing Buffy and Angelus to yield the amulet. She removed the gold chain that had been attached to it and handed the amulet itself to Buffy.

Buffy grasped it firmly in her hand. She could feel its power. She looked at Angelus who moved to hold out his hand knowing that he too had to hold the amulet with her.

Suddenly, he stopped, "He's here."

"Buffy, now!" Wesley yelled, as the ground began to shake, and the Beast's shadow could be seen at the gates of the courtyard.

Buffy and Angelus joined hands, holding the amulet as one and they began to read the passage:

_To this world which it should belong_

_Return the fire above to its place in the sky_

_To the line of the Gods of the Sun_

_We beseech thee to heed our cry_

_With this power we hold, let our will be done_

_Cast out unnatural dark from up high_

_The Beast and its will are undone!_

After a few seconds, Buffy and Angelus suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that the amulet's power had forced them into some sort of trance. Buffy was suddenly painfully aware of the chaos of the scene before her. The Beast had breached the courtyard and was throwing aside the group outside. Buffy and Angelus still held the amulet together and they could both feel the power of it, and more alarmingly, the increasing heat emanating from it. It was all that each of them could do to keep hold of it, the heat was so great.

Buffy turned to Angelus, "It's too hot. I can't…" she broke off, as she was suddenly hit by the fist of the Beast.

She hit the ground hard and rolled with the fall. She came to a stop and realized that she held the amulet in her hand. She clasped it tightly as the Beast advanced on her.

"Willow!" she screamed.

"Buffy, let go of the amulet!" Wesley yelled.

Before Buffy could even respond the amulet was lifted out of her grip, by some unseen force. It rose above the reach of all in the courtyard, even the Beast. Then, it began to spin. Faster and faster.

The Beast looked up at the amulet, realizing what was about to happen. And, that was when it headed towards its master, deciding that it might have just enough time to accomplish the task of saving her.

Connor and Gunn braced themselves for the approaching Beast.

"Great, so we die before the apocalypse even starts?" Gunn muttered to Connor.

Connor glanced back at Gunn, matching his nervous expression.

Suddenly, the Beast was blown back towards the entrance to the courtyard.

"Stay back!" Willow yelled, holding her right hand up, steadfastly.

"A witch cannot defeat me!" the Beast roared at her, slowly getting to his feet.

"No need for that" Willow replied, pointing at the amulet, which had gained greater speed, and now emanated a luminous golden glow.

Buffy and Angelus held fighting stances as the Beast continued to approach. But, without warning he stopped and roared in protest.

Suddenly, a blinding ray of light burst forth from the amulet and shot towards the sky, heading for the darkened sun. It shattered the black charcoal-like prison around it and the sun burst into existence again. Team Angel watched, mesmerized, as the Beast shuddered and exploded into nothing more than the rocks he was made from.

Angelus cursed and bolted for cover from the sun.

The sun had returned and the Beast had been defeated as quickly as he had come into being.

Yet, the apocalypse was still nigh. Much work was still to be done and much more was still to be sacrificed. The group gathered in the center of the courtyard to admire the wondrous sight before them. The sun had returned!

Buffy turned to look at Angelus. He licked his lips at her. Hungrily. Knowingly. Quickly, she adverted her gaze to look at the Beast Master. She knew what had to be done. She had to kill Cordelia. To prevent the apocalypse. For the greater good.


	11. PART EIGHT CONTD

**PART EIGHT – CONTINUED**

Cordelia/Beast Master caught Buffy's eye and leaned forward on the bench that she was bound to, "You think you can stop what has to come to pass? There is only one way, which I have heard you all discuss, yet, not even you, Slayer, have the power to do that. You have killed my pet, but there will be others. I have already summoned them. Enjoy your few days in the sun, because they will be your last."

"You're wrong," Buffy said through clenched teeth.

Buffy looked at them all scattered about the courtyard; Wesley, Connor, Gunn, Fred, Lorne, Willow and Angelus. None of them said a word. No one made a move and Buffy knew that the Beast Master took their silence to mean that they agreed with its words. Buffy had averted too many an apocalypse to even count. She had sacrificed great things to save the world; Angel, herself and more than once. There would have been a time when she would not have thought to sacrifice any more of those closest to her heart, like Willow, Giles, Xander or Dawn, even after having done so to Angel. But, since being resurrected, she finally understood a great part of her role as a Slayer. No slayer before her had had close friends and family and she knew the main reason was that when it came to the mission everyone was expendable, even herself. The mission, saving the world from those creatures that crawled from the darkest depths of any hell, was what mattered. As the Slayer, she was charged with ensuring that the battle was won, no matter the cost, for the world's survival.

For the greater good.

And, that was why Buffy retrieved her sword from the ground and rushed at Cordelia ready to stop the pending apocalypse that the Beast Master threatened.

But, as she prepared to issue a fatal strike she was slammed from the side with such force that her feet were ripped from the ground and she was propelled through the courtyard window into the hotel. The glass shattered with ear-splitting force and she landed painfully and awkwardly on her stomach, unconscious.

"Connor!" Fred screamed, as it had been he who had dealt such an unexpected blow to Buffy.

Connor spun in Wesley, Gunn, Lorne and Fred's direction, "You would kill Cordelia? We will get her back. Death is not the only answer all the time!" Connor roared.

"There is no other way, Connor," Lorne refuted.

"What do you know? You've been wrong so many times before with reading Angelus, Cordy, the spell to give her back her memory."

"Connor!" Fred yelled, in response to his attack on poor Lorne.

"Get away from her, immediately" Wesley ordered, as he held one of his pistols aimed at him.

"Told you he couldn't be trusted," Gunn said exasperatedly.

"Sure, Wes. Shoot a human, would you? I don't believe that threat. Listen, we can't kill Cordy. And I won't let a Slayer, or any of you try it," Connor vowed, as he began to unbind Cordelia's chains.

Without warning, Wesley fired off a bullet straight into Connor's leg. Connor fell to the floor, as his leg gave out and whimpered in pain. Fred looked at Wesley in shock, but he was focused solely on the mission at hand. He saw Cordelia attempting to escape and ran forward. Gunn and Fred followed in his stead and chaos continued to reign.

Angelus stood in the shade watching the chaotic scene before him. He looked through the courtyard window at Buffy's unconscious, helpless body. And, he began to make his way towards her.

Willow was in front of him, in a fraction of a second. She held out her hands to stop him, "You don't touch her," she warned in a low growl.

"Buffy!" Giles' voice came from the hotel as he caught sight of Buffy lying injured amongst shards of glass.

Willow was distracted for a moment and that was when Angelus grasped her by the throat and yanked her towards him with such aggression that she let out an involuntary yelp. Giles tried to take in the overwhelming scenes before him: Buffy lying injured, Angelus choking the life out of Willow, Wesley and the group battling Cordelia and trying to attend to a severely injured Connor. The calm before the apocalypse storm had most definitely passed. He reacted quickly and rushed forward to assist Willow. Angelus sensed his approach and thrust the full force of his fist into Giles' face, bloodying the Watcher's nose and disorientating him to the point of collapse.

He turned back to Willow and tightened his grip around her neck, "Come to put my soul pack, have you?"

Willow couldn't speak, and instead fired an angry, defiant glare at Angelus. Those days, a few years ago, when she had feared the monstrous Angelus, had passed. She knew the power she possessed and that knowledge transcended those previous fears.

"I see you're not afraid of me now you're this big all-powerful Wicca. But, perhaps you will fear for Buffy. The deal she and I made means I have free reign when it comes to her and her…. uh…. well, you know. And, well, my part of the deal has been fulfilled. You see where I'm going with this?"

"You lie. Buffy would never agree to that," Willow struggled to respond.

"Already did," Angelus countered, "And she's already given me a couple of previews of what is to come," Angelus said, winking slyly at Willow.

Willow couldn't hide the shocked expression on her face at what Angelus had just revealed. Angelus and Buffy together? She couldn't process it, nor did she have the time at that moment. She could feel herself losing consciousness as Angelus' grip tightened ever more around her jugular. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

"You're the best shot at bringing back Angel so what else can I do, but kill you?" Angelus breathed as he leaned in to bite her.

But, he did not get the chance.

Willow now held a fiery glowing ball of magic in her palm and she thrust it at Angelus. It was a ball of sunlight. It burned through his shirt and skin, just as the sun would have done if he'd stepped out of the shade. He threw her back violently, yelling in pain, as his skin smoked and the smell of burned flesh filled the courtyard. It was nauseating even to him. He moved to finish her off as she was barely conscious after the violent way in which he had just thrown her against the wall of the courtyard. But, he thought better of it and moved towards Buffy instead. He was undetected by Wesley and the group. They were preoccupied with their own chaotic battle.

Inside the hotel, Buffy's eyes snapped open and she remembered instantly, what had happened. She had to get back to Cordelia! Every second that she remained alive the world was at risk. Whatever she had planned, the way she had spoken back out in the courtyard, it was clear, that it was almost time. It meant that Buffy had to finish it now. She rolled to her side in order to get up slowly. As she did, she felt the stabbing pain of numerous shards of glass slicing into her hands, arms, neck, and the rest of her body. Her body ached and her skin burned from the sting of a dozen cuts, not to mention bruises and possible fractured bones.

When she finally made it to her feet Angelus stood before her. She was taken aback by his sudden appearance and the malicious smirk on his face.

"Whatever it is now is not the time," she told him, flippantly.

"Oh, but now is the time, Buff."

" Get away from me," Buffy said, trying to pass him.

Angelus blocked her way.

Buffy stopped and looked up at him in anger, "Get out of my way!"

"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm not one of your troops, Buff. I could rip your throat out as you stand. Now, I'm here to get what was promised me; one way or another."

"Payment? The deal we struck?" Buffy asked, with false innocence.

"That's right lover," he said, taking a seductive step towards her. He grasped her by the shoulders.

"The deal, of course. Well… _lover…_I lied."

She looked up at him slowly. Her expression was cold and unemotional.

And for the first time, Angelus realized he had completely underestimated his enemy, "You played me this whole time?" he asked, as he increased his grip on her shoulders, as his anger grew.

"That's right. Every flirtation, every _intimate_ situation. You failed to see that I know you better than anyone. Why? Because I know Angel better than anyone. You were a fool to think you could manipulate me now. Those high school days are long past. I know myself. I know my power. You can't corrupt me with accusations of inner darkness. You have no power over _me_, Angelus. None," Buffy practically spat.

He pushed her back violently, but she caught her balance, and immediately assumed a fighting stance.

"I will kill you, for this. Very slowly. Very painfully," Angelus threatened.

"Talk all you want," Buffy retorted.

"You're injured, Buff. You can't take me in this state."

"I'm the Slayer," Buffy said simply, as she threw a punch at him.

He blocked it and she dodged his retaliation. And, so their battle began.


	12. PART NINE: Equilibrium (Final Chapter)

**PART NINE: Equilibrium**

**Hotel Courtyard**

"Uh…guys…. timeout! Angelus and Buffy are having the ultimate smack down, while we stand here arguing like school children," Lorne informed the group, as he watched Buffy and Angelus battling inside the hotel lobby.

Wesley shot up from his kneeling position beside Cordelia, having been trying to fix her restraint after Connor's attempt to remove them.

"She'll need our help. Where's Willow and Giles?" Wesley asked.

"We're here, barely standing, but we're here," Willow said, approaching them from behind with Giles in tow. Giles held his hand to the side of his bruised head, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that emanated from it.

"What happened?" Fred asked, urgently, as she caught sight of the marks around Willow's neck.

"Angelus. We tried to stop him going after Buffy," Willow revealed.

"She can handle him," Connor said through gritted teeth, as he clutched at his wounded leg.

"Yes, she could if you hadn't injured her by acting so impetuously," Giles said, glaring at Connor. Without warning, he lunged forward and grabbed Connor by the neck, violently jerking him closer, "Young man, you are foolish. We are trying to avert an apocalypse here. There is no room for individual whims or selfish passions. Heroes don't exhibit that sort of behaviour. Buffy understands that and realizes that killing the Beast Master is our only option. Heed this; I have no reservations about ridding us of anyone who compromises our chance of defeating this great evil."

"You're all too late," the Beast Master spoke.

And, before anyone had the chance to react, the Beast Master broke her restraints, stood, and raised her hands, emanating an invisible force that formed a barrier between she and the group.

"Points for trying though," she said with an evil grin, as she turned on her heel and sauntered back towards the hotel lobby.

"Willow, break this down!" Gunn yelled.

"Trying," Willow, replied, as she began to utter words in Latin.

"Buffy!" Giles whispered in fear, at what lay before his already-weakened Slayer.

**Hotel Lobby**

Angelus crashed into the reception desk and landed hard on his side. He growled at Buffy as she approached him.

"Not feeling your bad-ass self?" she asked as she watched Angelus struggle to his feet.

She shot out her foot to ensure he stayed down. He saw it coming and grabbed it throwing her backwards. Buffy used the momentum to flip herself backwards and she landed flawlessly back on her feet.

"You can't win this," she told him.

"A little cocky are we, Buff?" Angelus responded as he attempted a roundhouse kick at her. Buffy sidestepped it and smirked at his continuing failure to assault her.

"I'm stronger."

She launched an onslaught of well-executed kicks at Angelus. Each one made contact. Each one drove him back further. Within moments, he was on his knees. But, Buffy knew better than to relent when it came to Angelus. It was what he expected of her, and, thus, it was exactly what she didn't do. She continued to attack, violently bloodying him despite his attempt to block her hits. She was too fast, too strong now. It had been five years since they had last battled one another, and the opponent he faced now was far more experienced, had far more power than the woman he had fought to his death back in Sunnydale those few years ago.

As Angelus reeled on the ground, Buffy moved in, and grabbed hold of him, "Sorry, Angelus, I don't have any more time for this."

She threw him with all her Slayer strength into the weapons cabinet, causing the doors to break, and the glass to shatter with ear-splitting force. He lay there, unmoving. He was down for the count.

Just as she was about to turn around and make her way back to the courtyard someone blindsided her, holding her steady for a mere fraction of a second, before plunging a knife into her gut.

She gulped and slumped to her knees.

Her attacker stood in front of her, glaring down at her with aversion, "I told you, you would not stop this. Pity, that you came so close," the Beast Master/Cordelia spoke.

Buffy cringed, holding the offending weapon in place to prevent it from slicing further into her skin. The pain was excruciating. She fought the urge to collapse.

**The Hotel Courtyard**

Willow remained at work, concentrating her power against the barrier that confined them in the courtyard. Within a few moments her eyes glazed over and her pupils dilated. Her eyes morphed into utter blackness.

Giles looked on warily, praying that she could control the magicks she was channelling.

"It's working," Wesley realized.

Gunn readied his weapon, preparing to charge into the hotel the instant that the barrier was broken.

"Uh, guys, we're out of time," Lorne said, as he moved his gaze towards the scene inside the hotel lobby.

The group followed Lorne's line of sight and were shocked to see Buffy on her knees, clutching her gut, with the Beast Master standing victoriously over her.

"Willow?" Giles cried, anxiously.

Willow didn't respond. She remained in deep concentration. She screamed some choice Latin phrases as her head flew back and a blinding flash of light shot through the barrier. She'd succeeded. The barrier was down.

**Inside the Hotel**

The Beast Master walked towards Buffy and retrieved the sword that lay beside her. She picked it up and held it at her side. She grabbed Buffy by her hair, forcing her to look at her.

"I wonder if this time you'll stay dead, Slayer. Well, third time lucky, right?"

Buffy knew she had an instant to react before the sword made contact with her neck. She glanced around her. There were no nearby weapons. Then, realization dawned on her and she looked down at the knife that protruded from her stomach.

"Buffy!" Giles shouted as the group entered the hotel lobby.

Buffy was in such great pain and a state of shock that she barely heard the group enter the lobby. The situation at hand was all she could focus on; all she needed to focus on.

As soon as she saw the Beast Master drop her shoulder, indicating that she was about to strike, Buffy yanked the knife out of her stomach and, without missing a beat, plunged it forward, deep into the Beast Master's heart. She twisted the blade and forced it deeper before violently yanking it back out. She couldn't take the chance that the Beast Master would recover from it. And so, she did not.

The Beast Master fell hard on the ground beside Buffy. It was over. The Beast master was dead. Cordelia was dead.

Buffy heard the gang approach, the commotion surrounding her, the tears of devastation at Cordelia's demise, the intensity of emotions filling the room. Her vision started to blur and no matter how frequently she blinked she could not clear it. She was aware that she was losing consciousness. She glanced over at Angelus. He was still unconscious as Gunn and Fred reached him. She looked down at her wound. She knew it was severe, even for a Slayer. She saw Wesley and Giles kneeling down beside her. And, that was when she passed out.

Angelus had been defeated. The apocalypse had been averted. Her job was done. The mission was all that mattered. Now she could rest.

**Next Day – Angel's Bedroom**

"Buffy?" Giles voice called quietly, as she slowly awoke in Angel's bed.

"How are you feeling?" Wesley's voice added.

Buffy glanced around the room, to see the entire group, aside from Connor and Angel, standing about her bedside, with looks of great concern masking their faces. She tried to sit up, but she was still very sore.

"Uh…. I'm okay. A little achy, but good."

"It's over. No more pending apocalypse for L.A.," Willow informed her.

Buffy responded with a smile, but lacked the energy or strength to offer anything more at that point. Giles saw the pain that she tried to conceal from the group, "Let's leave Buffy to get some rest," he urged them.

"Thank the Gods for that super healing power of a Slayer, eh?" Lorne said.

"Quite so," Wesley agreed, glancing at Buffy with great gratitude.

As the group headed towards the door it opened, and there stood Angel.

"Angel?" Buffy asked hesitant to believe that is was Angel who stood at the door and not Angelus.

"Bruised and battered, but with soul…again," Angel confirmed.

Giles nodded at Buffy in reassurance.

"Mind if I…." Angel began, addressing the group.

"Of course," Wesley said, ushering everyone out of the room.

Angel closed the door and approached Buffy. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his.

"Welcome back," Buffy told him.

"Thanks. Listen Buffy, I think we need to talk about-" Angel began.

"Don't Angel. We're fine."

"It's just, what happened between us…. well, Angelus and you….was, uh…"

"Gross and disturbing?" Buffy finished.

"Pretty much, but there's just something I need to know."

"And, that is?" Buffy pressed.

"It was all just part of your plan? Nothing more?"

"Let's just say, I wasn't manipulated into anything."

"What does that mean?"

"I think it's best if we just leave it at that."

Angel paused, trying to determine if they should just let it go. After a few moments of consideration he deemed that their relationship was far too complicated as it was. It was best left alone.

"Agreed."

"Angel, as weird as I found the situation between you and Cordelia I know how much you cared for her. I'm sorry that it came to this. There was no other choice."

"I know. Another friend down who I couldn't save," Angel said, turning away sadly.

"It is our price, Angel," Buffy told him, "It's the road heroes walk. We gain allies, we lose friends, but in the end, we are always at a distance. It's the only way it can be."

"Life of an immortal slayer and a two-hundred and fifty year old vampire with a soul?" Angel replied, cracking a gentle smile.

"Something like that," Buffy agreed, smiling back.

Angel leaned into Buffy and kissed her softly. She responded instantly, and kissed him back until they both broke away slowly, a few minutes later.

As Angel got up to leave, so Buffy could get some rest, he turned back to her, "Thanks for not killing me."

"Fortunately, you being unconscious was enough."

"Lucky," Angel said.

"It was, because, Angel, I didn't hold back and I will never. No matter what was between us, I will always be there to stop you when you cross that line," Buffy admitted, sombrely.

"I know."

And, with that, he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He had a lot of damage control to do downstairs. His people needed him.

**THE END**


End file.
